Godzilla X Pikachu
by Keith E. Kimball
Summary: The Unown save humanity from Godzilla...by transporting the King of the Monsters to the world of Pokémon.
1. Prologue

**Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball**

**E-Mail: Bdrodman@aol.com**

**Godzilla X Pikachu**

by

Keith E. Kimball

"Hey, everybody!" Chief dolphin handler Uriko Takei called into her microphone, "Are you ready for some fun on this bright, sunny day?!"  The mic channeled her voice into the auditorium's public address system, sending it booming back at her in a form carefully sculpted to be clearly audible but without echoes.

"**YEAH!" a couple thousand audience members yelled happily back at her.**

"Great!" she chirped in return.  Uriko smiled, her unusually high cheekbones pushing her eyes into little upside-down, half-moon shapes.  The tall, athletic beauty's bubbly personality made her perfect for running the outdoors marine wildlife shows.  She could handle animals and customers alike.  In fact, she often compared an irate customer to the animals…except she thought the marine life was still more pleasant.

Getting another enthusiastic call from the audience, Uriko padded across the dive platform mounted high above the enormous public performance pool.  "Then, on behalf of everyone at Fukuoka Marine World, I welcome you!  Let's get this show on the road!"  She struck a little pose and winked for the men in the audience.  There were a few catcalls for the wetsuit-clad woman mixed into the appreciative claps and cheers of a audience really looking forward to the show.

The one and only thing Uriko disliked about her job was how, since she'd join her dolphins in the water for a few athletic stunts, she couldn't wear sunglasses.  The one o'clock sun was really beaming off the pool's crystal-clear waters and right into her face.  She smiled to the audience, straining to see past the glare and into the waters.  Spotting a dark shape beneath the surface for her cue, Uriko once again lowered her head slightly to speak into the microphone built into her wetsuit's collar.

"First up, it's our resident beauty, Tara!"  Uriko struck a pose, beaming, waiting for her dolphin friend to leap twenty feet from the water and do a little maneuver in midair where she was pointing.

Tara didn't show.  Uriko gulped.  Her eyes **had been hurting her lately; she couldn't afford gaffes like this, she'd have to get her vision checked immediately after work… but for the moment, she tried to cover by making a sweeping bow, searching the pool with her gaze at the same time.**

Tara was there, all right.  So were Blackfin and Ecco, so everybody was accounted for.

The audience had started murmuring to each other, but Uriko heard none of it as she spied her dolphins' behavior.

Ecco had always been their leader; the star of the show.  And he was still leading them.  Around and around and around the pool, in circles at top speed, in fact.  A couple times, the mammals paused to stare desperately at the landlocked entrances the audience used to walk in for their show.  Then it was back to their headlong flight, whirling time and again.

Uriko looked around the open-air auditorium.  She got equally curious stares back from her fellow show handlers.  Trying to soothe the crowd, she put on her best smile and said into the mic, "Hey, hey!  Looks like my friends had too much sugar in their fish for breakfast today!"  That got a laugh from most; the children sprinkled around the amphitheater still looked concerned.

"But seriously, folks," Uriko continued, "I think my friends are a little sensitive today.  If all of you could please make sure your cell phones and pagers are completely **off**, not just vibrating, we'd all appreciate it."

Hoping it was just such a noise (inaudible to human ears) that was irritating her friends, Uriko watched as her audience did as told.  But below her, the dolphins were only getting more agitated.  Their circles were yet faster.  Eyes bulging with fright, the dolphins feinted repeatedly toward the pool's edges.  Uriko's mouth set in a grim line.

The glass sides of the pool that reached into the stands were really more of a tank; they stuck a good ten feet straight up from the floor along the outer edge.  Normally this would only allow the kids in the front rows to get splashed, which they liked anyway.

But if even one six-foot long, two-hundred pound dolphin leapt over the side to escape the tank, she'd have a hard time getting the animal back into watery safety.  Not to mention soothing any parents whose kids the marine mammal landed on.

Uriko dove headfirst into the center of the pool.  Surfacing quickly, she whistled, calling the dolphins in her rough approximation of their own language.

Ecco was at her side immediately, but Blackfin and Tara continued their mad dash around the pool.  Ecco chirped shrilly at her, wagging his head back and forth.  She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong (as if, of course, she really was fluent in dolphin) and got a splash right in her mouth.  Ecco fanned his pectoral fins at her again, then dove toward the main platform.

Before she could clear her throat, Ecco was back.  Then returned to the platform again, chirping at her from there.  _He doesn't want me in the water,_ Uriko realized, _he's afraid whatever has scared them will get **me too.**_

Uriko's coworker Kumi appeared near Ecco's position, the treat bucket in her hand.  Kumi bent down, proffering a fish, but Ecco barely glanced at it.  The dolphin just kept urging Uriko out of the water.  She was just about to accede and swim over to them when she saw the puzzled look on Kumi's face.  Uriko turned, following her coworker's gaze to the upper edge of the visitors' stands.

A strange protuberance was sticking up past the building's edge. This weird - thing - made Uriko think of a drawing of burning flames.  Except it was hard and solid; a bizarre bony extrusion primarily green but edged with purple.  It gleamed in the sun as water cascaded down its razor-sharp flanks.  Her stare was drawing yet more attention to it, and by now most of the audience was watching it too.

Then Uriko realized the object was rising.  Now others like it had joined the object.  Triple rows of mismatched blades rose, then tipped backwards as the animal attached to them straightened up from the distant waters of Hakata Bay.

Uriko found herself staring right into the golden-hued gaze of Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

Godzilla snarled and the audience panicked.  Uriko was bobbing in the pool, stunned into immobility.  Godzilla, it seemed, just kept going on and on as he finished straightening up slowly.  Finally reaching his full height of three hundred feet even, Godzilla began wading onto shore.  More water ran from his smooth green scales to pool around the kaiju's feet out-of-sight behind the amphitheater's walls.  Even at this distance, the shockwaves of Godzilla's thunderous footsteps skipped across the pool's surface.

The amphitheater's exits were choked with stampeding people now.  The sight broke her stunned silence.  Uriko spun around again and in a few smooth, powerful strokes, reached the main platform.  She hoisted herself out of the water and found Kumi at her side.  Her friend helped pull Uriko to her feet as both women heard a big splash off to their side.

Blackfin had leapt onto the platform in a desperate bid to escape the advancing Godzilla.  The mammal's skeleton was unused to supporting his weight enough for him to breathe without water's aid in negating gravity.  He wheezed through his blowhole, floundering on his stomach, chattering madly.

"Run!" Uriko shouted above the crowd, pointing Kumi toward the backstage exits and possible salvation.  Kumi's eyes flickered doubt, but off she went.  Uriko flew back to Blackfin, pushing him toward the pool's safety.  Since the dolphin and the platform alike were slick with water, she would've had a fairly easy time of it…if Blackfin wasn't fighting her the whole way.

By the time Uriko had her friend back in the waves, only a few trampled people were left to keep her and the dolphins company.  Despite herself, Uriko looked up past the stands.

Godzilla had drawn near but stopped.  His narrowed eyes were focused past her, ignoring Ecco as well.  The dolphin was doing a tailwalk at the kaiju and chattering angrily in a challenge that belied his fear.

Uriko peered over her shoulder.  Fukuoka Marine World's familiar shape gleamed back at her.  Even for the artistically-minded Japanese architects, the building was an unusual beauty.  The sprawling complex was shaped like an immense seashell.

Everything within that could was screaming for its life, be it human, sea mammal, or aquatic fowl.  The mixture of sounds made it seem like the building was giving off an eerie call all its own…

Her face turned white.  Between the cacophony of sounds and the building's unusual shape, Fukuoka Marine World looked like a semi-aquatic kaiju squatting on the landscape.  And Godzilla took this as a challenge.

The monster roared back, pounding forward in deadly earnest.

Uriko could do nothing to help the other people, lying wounded and bleeding, brushed aside by the crowd in their haste to flee.  She couldn't save her dolphin friends either as they yet circled frantically, still seeking escape.

But she could stay and die with them.

Uriko dove in and Ecco joined her one more.  He put himself between Uriko and the advancing kaiju protectively.  Uriko clasped his dorsal fin, her tears of gratitude and fear mixing with the cold salt water.

She had never believed in Shinto or any other divine intervention…but she was praying to someone, _anyone_, to save so many innocents with all the power she had.  Uriko could almost feel her efforts combine with the desperate pleas of so many other humans and animals, reaching out somewhere across time and space…

Unheedful of those so near yet so beneath him, Godzilla snarled.

Then the kaiju king stopped again, turning his gaze upwards toward a bright flash of light.

The burst of light unfurled like an opening flower.  And what Uriko saw there took her breath away.  Uriko suspected she was peering into another dimension.  As bizarre as that would be, it would be the only thing that would explain that…place.  A world that was so totally _alien_ she had nothing to compare it to.

Waves of shifting colors danced within the widening rift in the sky, following patterns that made sense only to the colors themselves. It was a unending emptiness, and yet it was not.  Uriko could smell sounds from it and hear throbbing melodies carried along by her own heartbeat's pulse.

Eyes narrowed against the growing glare, Godzilla howled a challenge at the fissure.  His back plates lit up ominously and whisps of smoke escaped his crocodilian maw as Godzilla powered up his atom beam to strike the out-of-reach sky fissure.

With a quick upward snap of his head and gaping jaws, Godzilla fired.  The beam ripped through the gap and into that other_where_.  The fissure rippled like water; its myriad colors disrupted by the beam.  But it quickly returned to its full flower without any visible effect.

There was a response, however.  Dozens of tiny black shapes, bizarre and each different from the other, poured out of the fissure.  They chattered at each other with the same monotone voice as they flew without wings toward Godzilla.

Godzilla swiped at the new arrivals.  His claws slashed and his tail whipped, but the agile creatures dodged every blow.  Their movements were so quick and so accurate, Uriko had the ludicrous thought these creatures could foresee where Godzilla's fists would be even before the monster lunged.

In the next instant, the creatures' demeanor changed.  A decision seemed to have been reached.  Instead of dodging individually, these beings pulled into a circular formation surrounding the kaiju.  Their relentless monotone grew into a loud chant as waves of colors, matching the still-shining rift, spread from the group to envelop Godzilla in rippling glory.  Uriko could just pick out the sound of a hundred-thousand individuals chanting in the same soft voice, over and over again:  _"Unown…Unown…Unown…"_

Godzilla's eyes blazed with hatred, but his body was struck immobile by the newcomers' strange power.  Together, they lifted the kaiju and retreated toward their own point of origin.  As Godzilla neared the rift, his struggles began to bear fruit.  His tail twitched and his claws flexed.  Hurriedly, the creatures pulled the King of the Monsters into the rift with them.

Save one.  It flew down to Uriko, casting a curious one-eyed glance over her and the dolphins.  Black all over save for its eye, the rotating orb in its center was the only recognizable feature about the beast to Uriko.  It had no mouth or ears.  Just a round body to support that eye and very mismatched limbs that reminded her of a balloon animal's faux appendages.

Godzilla's roar, echoing eerily from within that other place, called the being's attention.  The little creature flew after its fellows so quickly Uriko never got to say a thing.  With another blaze of light, the rift vanished once it passed through.

Godzilla was gone.

And she didn't even know who to thank.

But she was very thankful anyway.

Somewhere, across the dimensional divide…

*********

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball.  This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Toho Eiga Inc., GameFreak, The Pokèmon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Sega Enterprises Ltd., etc.


	2. Chapter 1: Arrival

**Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball**

**E-Mail: Bdrodman@aol.com**

**Well, hello, dear reader!  As any Narrator should, let me welcome you to another day in the fantastic world of Pokèmon!  It's time to check in with our friends; Ash, Misty, and Brock, as they journey across Mount Silver.  As you'll recall, Professor Elm charged them with delivering the stolen infant Pokèmon, Larvitar, back to his mother.  Our heroes hope to find her _somewhere_ inside the mountain's Pokèmon preserve, then head back down so Ash can take part in the Silver Conference.**

With his usual confidence, Ash was leading the way as the trio plodded up the steep, winding mountain path.  Pikachu was keeping pace at his side, but Ash's backpack was taken up by Larvitar peeking over his shoulder.  Togepi had a similar arrangement on Misty's back since her arms were tired.

By contrast, Brock's hands were full of an unfolded map.  "Let's see here," he said thoughtfully, "Professor Elm said we should find Ranger Mason.  If anybody knows where exactly Larvitar comes from, Mason will, he said."

Larvitar and Ash alike perked up at that.  "So," Ash asked, "Where do we find this guy?"

Misty broke in, "Mason might be a girl, you know.  The professor didn't say."

Giving her an irritated look, Ash replied, "It's just a figure of speech, Misty.  I didn't mean anything by it.  And you don't have to nitpick _everything I say."_

Misty smiled a little, reaching out to gently stroke Larvitar's smooth forehead.  The little Pokèmon grinned happily back at her as Misty said, "Yeah, sorry.  I guess I shouldn't spoil the mood, now that Larvitar likes the rest of us and not just you, Ash."

"Thanks to that Unown we met the other day," Brock reminded her.

The face of everyone but Larvitar screwed up a little as they recalled their bizarre adventure inside Larvitar's mind, courtesy of the strangest Psychic-Type Pokèmon of them all.  Larvitar remembered it as well, of course, but for now the very young creature was thinking solely happy thoughts.  Besides being free of his pathological fears caused by his being kidnapped while still inside his egg, Larvitar was almost back home.  With true friends who had stuck by him through several other adventures as well.  How could life possibly get better than this?

Brock cast a wary eye at the sky.  "We've still got an hour or so until sunset," he observed pragmatically, "but it looks like rain coming in.  Maybe we should find some shelter for the night."

Throwing another irritated look at the air, Ash grumbled, "We're so close to Larvitar's home now…but you're probably right.  Maybe there's a cave we can hide out in."  Ash got some relief when a glance over his shoulder revealed Larvitar still smiling happily, not minding the delay at all.

Misty sighed, "Too bad the Pokèmon Center is a couple hours back.  We'd never make it before the rain rolled in."

The troupe's concentration was shattered by a burst of light ahead in the forest.  A small rip appeared in the open air, blasting a column of light straight down into the trees.  With a clap of thunder, the opening disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.  The trio barely had time to gasp.

"What," Brock gulped, folding his map back into his vest, "do you suppose that was?"

Misty put a finger to her cheek thoughtfully, "It looked kinda like when Team Rocket blasts off."

Brock shook his head.  "Except they go up.  That went down."

Ash started running toward the source, calling back to them over his shoulder.  "We won't find out from here!  Let's go!"  Pikachu leapt to keep pace, _"Pika-chu!"_

As his friends fell in behind him, Ash grinned at Pikachu and Larvitar alike.  "Maybe it's a legendary Pokèmon," his eyes shone with enthusiasm, "Maybe even a brand-new one!  We could be the first to see it, ever!"  Pikachu grinned, "_Pika!_" right back at him.

Misty had caught that behind him.  "Wait, Ash!" she called, "What if it's dangerous?  We can't take Larvitar there!"

That made him stop.  Ash considered it for a second, then shrugged free of his backpack.  He thrust it into Misty's surprised arms, giving her a strong look.  "You're right," he admitted, "and we probably shouldn't take Togepi, either.  I know I can trust you to look after Larvitar, Misty.  Me and Brock will be right back, we'll just check it out real quick.  I promise.  You'll all be safe here."

Misty's eyes shone a little.  She hammed up the confidence in her reply, trying to cover her embarrassment with, "_We'll be safe?  Ash, I didn't know you cared."_

Ash felt a blush creeping up his collar, but he was saved as Larvitar chirped, "_Laarvitaarr!" at him.  The little monster's arms pawed at him as fear grew in his big round eyes.  Ash let Larvitar catch his own hand in both of the Pokèmon's, grinning reassuringly._

"It's just for a minute, Larvitar.  You can trust Misty just as much as you trust me, remember?" he told the upset creature.  Misty hugged Larvitar's back close to her chest in response, and Togepi chirped encouragement from behind her as well.  She prodded, "It's probably not dangerous at all anyway.  I'm just worrying for nothing."  Larvitar relaxed visibly and Ash gently pulled himself free.

Together, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu charged off.  The trio left behind watched with big eyes.  More or less to herself, Misty whispered, "Yeah.  Not dangerous at all…sure…"  Togepi and Larvitar murmured quiet agreement with her.

The friends might've had some trouble finding where the bolt struck if it wasn't for a wispy plume of black smoke still rising above the trees.  Glancing up to home in on it as they ran, the group soon burst into a large clearing.

That bolt from the heavens had pushed over a large tree directly in the trainers' path.  Ash observed, "Hey, that tree is what's smoking…but I don't see any flames."

Brock noted, "Look here.  This big branch that got knocked off must've been the culprit."

Genuine relief flooded Ash's expression as he added, "It's burned out already.  Good.  No forest fires, at least."  Suddenly Ash's movements grew quiet.  "Look at how the ground's all pushed up," he pointed, "I think it's on the other side of the tree."  Brock simply nodded; both trainers crept forward to peek over the fallen foliage with Pikachu at their side.

They found the impact had left a small, charred crater.  And at the center of it, as Ash has suspected, there was a Pokèmon nobody had ever seen before.

It was unconscious and laying on its side; facing its watchers.  It was the size and roughly the shape of a Charmander.  The light green creature was in a fetal position with its tail curled up near its face.  That appendage was long and slender, but otherwise ordinary—lacking a Charmander's blazing flame at its tip.  They were at just high enough an angle overlooking the Pokèmon that Ash and Brock could see its smooth, featureless back.

Brock was surprised; first Ash had yielded to Misty's demands without a fight, now he was quietly pulling out his Pokèdex to check on the new creature _before awakening it and letting it know he was there.  The other trainer was actually thinking for once.  Perhaps, Brock surmised, he and Misty were finally rubbing off on Ash._

The device scanned the creature, then announced in its full, normal voice, "No data.  This Pokèmon is unknown."  The group was horrified; Ash had forgotten to lower the volume.

Instantly, the mystery Pokèmon's eyes snapped open.  They were jet-black irises against a field of beautiful gold.  Ash and Brock gasped in wonder at the sight.  "Wow," Brock gushed, "I wish I could find a girl with eyes like that."

Then the Pokèmon spoiled the effect by narrowing his gaze into a hard stare.  Ash and Brock alike were taken aback at the horrible look from such a cute face.  Quickly finding his short, thick legs, the little creature raised his tiny clawed hands and clenched them with definite menace.

Another surprise; most Pokèmon called out their own name when they spoke.  But this little creature roared an animalistic cry like a full-grown Gyarados.  It was high-pitched, but fierce.  Humans and Pokèmon alike jumped back from the crater at a sound way too big for such a small throat.

"Whoa!" Brock yelled, "That's some Roar Attack!"

"You said it," Ash agreed, "But Pikachu's not backing down!"

He'd backed up with them, yes, but Pikachu had placed himself firmly between his human friends and the crater.  Ash gulped.  The Electric-Type was regarding their mystery guest as he clambered over the dying tree with a dead-serious expression.  Pikachu's fur was standing on end.  Sparks danced from the electric pouches in each cheek as the mouse snarled, "_Piiikaaa-chuuuu…_" low in his throat.

"Pikachu," Ash asked, "What is it?"  He hadn't seen his little friend this serious since their battle to save Ash's mother, Delia, from a misguided girl named Molly.

Pikachu didn't have time to respond.  The new Pokèmon charged, jaws gaping in a Bite Attack.  Without waiting for battle commands, Pikachu dodged with Agility.  The other creature's teeth closed on empty air.  Then Pikachu went racing back toward his opponent in a Quick Attack.  Ash and Brock hurriedly scuttled backwards some more, to give the Pokèmon battle room to play out.

The stranger saw Pikachu coming, and his sinuous tail lashed around into a Tail Whip.  Pikachu, surprised, was caught broadside.  The mouse flew threw the air, landing on his feet - barely.  _"Pikaachuu!" he growled, darting forward once more._

"Wait, Pikachu!" Ash commanded, "Together, we can win this!  Use Quick Attack again!"  Pikachu did so, racing across the open clearing toward his opponent.  For his part, the new Pokèmon stood his ground, staring hard and clawed fingers twitching, as he prepared to counter another physical assault.

Once Pikachu drew near, Ash bellowed, "Thunderbolt, now!"

Pikachu stopped cold, out of reach of tail and claw alike, and sent a bolt of electricity rippling from him to strike the newcomer with a cry of "_Pikkaaa!!"_

Pikachu's target took the blast head on, groaning as his scales sizzled with the assault.  Apparently the stranger could take a lickin' and keep on tickin', because his gaze simply grew more angry.  With a snarl of hatred, the Pokèmon charged forward.  Again caught by surprise, Pikachu found himself clutched by the neck in a furious Bite Attack.

"No!" Ash cried.

Pikachu was tossed into the air.  Before he could land, another Tail Whip caught the mouse and sent him flying across the clearing.  Pikachu crashed to the earth.  Stunned, the spunky Electric-Type tried to regain his feet in a wobbly fashion.

The opposing Pokèmon then leaned forward in a quick and vicious gesture.  His throat was working as he moved to strike Pikachu with a long-range attack of some sort.  With a furious growl, he spat up a ferocious…smoke ring.

The smoke ring brushed gently across Pikachu's fur.  Even that mild contact was enough to dissipate the smoke harmlessly.

The stranger looked both shocked and horrified.  He clutched at his own throat, trying to spit something other than mere smoke.  A few more measly whisps escaped his maw, but that was it.

"Was that supposed to be a Smokescreen Attack?" Ash wondered.

"Must be a Fire-Type," Brock commented, "And his fire's gone out, like Cyndaquil's can."

"Yeah," Ash lit up, "And that means we've got the advantage!  Go, Pikachu!  Quick Attack, one more time!"

"_Pi!" came his friend, his wits restored as he dashed up.  Even as the other creature was still trying to summon up a decent Fire-Type attack, Pikachu crashed into him head-first.  The mystery creature was knocked backwards, but his clawed feet dug deep grooves into the earth as he remained upright determinedly.  Pikachu's opponent struck back with a Slash Attack, sending the mouse flying again._

"Man, that Pokèmon's solid.  Fast, too," Brock mentioned.

Shocked, Ash noticed blood seeping from Pikachu's wounds.  This wasn't a fight for honor with the mystery Pokèmon; it was a true battle for survival as far as his opponent was concerned.

Ash growled in frustration, "I don't care what he is!  Until I catch him first!"  He pointed toward the stranger, ordering, "Brock's right!  We need to slow him down!  Try Thunder Wave!"

Confused by Pikachu's Agility, it was the other Pokèmon's turn to be surprised when Pikachu's Thunder Wave washed over him.  This attack was never meant to cause direct damage, and for a few seconds, the new Pokèmon shrugged it off.

But when he tried to step forward into battle, the stranger soon realized it had electrically charged him.  He was now in the grip of alternating currents of pulses that fired his muscles spasmodically.  He tripped on his own feet and fell flat on his face.

As the newcomer snarled in frustration, Pikachu grinned.

"I think we got it," Ash agreed, "Pokèball, go!"

He threw the empty device, which gently bounced off the Pokèmon's head.  The Pokèball opened, its red beam wrapping around the creature to begin capturing him.

The Pokèmon snarled and his tail whipped around.  Its beam contact broken by the impact, the Pokèball soared back toward Ash.  He caught it easily.

Ash and Brock gasped as the creature broke free of the Thunder Wave's effects.  He raced forward, howling with rage.  Forgetting his frustration in place of his anger, the little monster was plowing not at Pikachu but at Ash with blood in his narrowed eyes.  "Hey!" Ash began.

Pikachu growled, "_PIKKAA-CHHUUU!" and sent the creature flying with a Thunder Attack._

The new Pokèmon slammed backwards into the thick bore of a still-standing tree.  For a second, he was pinned there by his own momentum; then he slid down the tree and disappeared behind a row of shrubbery with a thud.

"Whoa, Pikachu," Ash chided, "I want to capture it, not defeat it.  Don't use Thunder again, OK?"  But when he turned his gaze to his shorter friend, Ash was surprised to see Pikachu's fur still bristled.  Sparks danced again, and Pikachu never took his eyes off the bushes.  "Pikachu…?" Ash continued, "What's up with you?  You're creeping me out…"

_"Pika!" his friend responded, using a low-powered Thunderbolt to blast the foliage away so he could get a bead on the mystery guest once more._

The three friends relaxed; the creature was laying on his side.  The other Pokèmon's breathing was labored and his eyes were swirling in their sockets.  Pikachu's fur started settling back into place.  Ash was practically glowing with joy now.  "Looks like another perfect capture for me," he boasted as he wound up his Pokèball for another try.

For a second, Ash's target glowed with a purple flash…before he got a chance to throw his Pokèball again.

"Look out!" Brock responded, "It just used Recover!"

With an ear-splitting roar, the mystery menace regained his feet.  He jumped against the tree he'd bounced off of mere moments before.  His claws dug deep, tearing great sap-filled rips into the innocent foliage, as the Pokèmon used it for a springboard.  Ash had never seen such fury.  Clearing more than half the distance to his targets in one leap, the ferocious Pokèmon bore down on them once more.

"Remember, capture!" Ash reminded, "Go, Pikachu!  Agility!"

As Pikachu neared, the newcomer stopped cold.  His muscles twitched, and he snarled in frustration.  Pikachu grinned.  The Thunder Wave still had some grip on his foe, after all.  Realizing this as well, Ash commanded, "Quick Attack, now!"  Pikachu launched himself headlong against the other Pokèmon's gut.

With a grin, the mystery Pokèmon dropped his paralyzed act and grabbed Pikachu securely just before the Electric-Type's blow struck home.  "_Piikaaa!!!"_ the mouse groaned as he got a Body Slam driving him into the ground.  "No!  Pikachu, use Agility to escape!" Ash cried.

The newcomer wasn't giving Pikachu a chance.  Still pinning Pikachu beneath his superior weight, the Pokèmon lit into Pikachu with two Slash Attacks followed by a ferocious Bite.  Although only a couple inches taller than his foe, the creature then shook Pikachu in his jaws like a Snubbull with a favorite bone.

Finally, Pikachu went limp in his opponent's grasp.  Disdainfully, the creature spit Pikachu back toward Ash.  Ash jumped forward, catching his unconscious friend in outstretched arms.  "Pikachu!  Speak to me, buddy!"  But Pikachu remained senseless.

Ash looked up, realizing the other Pokèmon was now growling at him and Brock in earnest.  Brock swallowed hard; both he and Ash backing up.  Ash's hands were full of Pikachu and he couldn't unleash another of his Pokèmon friends from their Pokèballs strapped to his belt.

Brock found his hand twitching for his own team on his belt as an old-fashioned gunslinger might for his weapon.  Their little foe didn't miss a movement; the unknown Pokèmon's claws twitched and the creature knelt into a crouch.  He'd never have time to unleash a Pokèmon at this range; nor could both he and Ash dodge an attack either.  One of them, maybe, but both…never.

From the treeline behind the humans came a cry of, "Go, Corsola!  Spike Cannon, now!"  Misty's cute little Pokèmon bounded past the boys, firing an enthusiastic barrage of needle-like shells from the quad projections on her back.  Corsola's trainer stepped up to their friends' sides as well, still clutching the backpack-clad Larvitar to her chest as Togepi peeked timidly over her shoulder.

The bulk of the Spike Cannon barrage missed the mystery Pokèmon as he leapt straight up.  By the time he came back down, Corsola's attack had flown harmlessly by underneath him.  Finally unobstructed, the monster gave a gleeful growl as he leapt once more…at Misty.

"Look out!" Ash cried, throwing himself in front of Misty.  The oncoming Bite Attack found a home in his thigh instead of hers; Ash screamed.  Still unconscious, Pikachu fell from his arms as Ash knocked Misty over.  Reflexively, she grabbed at Ash and Pikachu alike but only succeeded in dropping Larvitar.  The baby Pokèmon landed on his feet in spite of Ash's backpack as the humans fell over together behind him.

Ash's attacker maintained its grip on his leg.  Growling, the Pokèmon tried to regain his feet and give Ash's wound a good ripping tug.  Before he's quite managed that, Corsola leapt onto his back.  The half Rock-Type's far superior weight kept her foe flat on his belly, but still he didn't release Ash from his iron jaws.

The lot of them were one big heap now.  Togepi was still trapped in his mistress' backpack and trying to squeeze out from under her.  The sound of the attacking Pokèmon's snarls carried over the myriad cries of his jumbled opponents.  Ash's grip fell down to the Pokèmon's head, futilely tugging at the clamping jaws.  The creature redoubled his hold and blood started staining Ash's jeans.

"Enough!" Brock cried, "Go, Onix!  Use Bind to help Ash!"

The enormous stone snake appeared in a flash of light, his bulk filling the clearing.  Onix roared and his deep voice alone shook the trees for a mile around.  Corsola jumped clear as Onix turned and daintily wrapped the very tip of his tail around Ash's assailant, Binding it securely.

As fierce and determined as the newcomer was, he was still very small.  With a gentle but firm squeeze, Onix forced his prey's jaws open.  Misty pulled Ash free in a spurt of unleashed blood.  She slung her backpack off and started to rummage for a makeshift tourniquet.  Togepi handed her a scarf in anticipation of her need.  She gave her baby buddy a pat in thanks, then turned to bind Ash's wound and staunch the bleeding.

Brock glanced over his shoulder at a strange grinding noise.  His eyes widened so much, Ash and Misty could **almost see the whites of his eyes.  When they looked, they too saw the noise was coming from the stranger's teeth as he tried Biting down on Onix's tail repeatedly.  Equally incredulous, Onix squeezed his Bind shut again to discourage the Pokèmon from only hurting himself by struggling.**

It was no use; the never-say-die determination of this Pokèmon knew no bounds.  The grinding continued, and a few of the Pokèmon's teeth broke off and fell to the ground without scratching Onix's granite coils.

Larvitar stepped free of Ash's backpack completely.  The little creature's face was aflame with righteous fury of his own.  _"Larviiiii…"_ his eyes glowed white, _"…TARRRR!!!"_  With that, he sent a burst of brilliant white spheres - his Hidden Power Attack - at the Pokèmon still helpless in Onix's rock-hard clutches.

Onix pulled free just before the blast caught their foe in midair.  The resulting explosion sent the newcomer flying up into the brewing storm clouds overhead, disappearing from sight with a gleam.

Ash was gritting his teeth against his pain.  It was much better now that Misty had stopped his bleeding, but it still hurt a lot.  "Misty!" Ash groaned, "I thought you were guarding the baby Pokèmon!  What're you doing here?"

His tone chased the worried frown from her face as she snapped, "Sounded like you could use some help.  And I was right."  Their eyes met.  They saw a confused combination of embarrassment and concern, each for the other's welfare, reflected in the opposing set of eyes.  Ash and Misty looked away quickly.  She busied herself with the tourniquet.

"We need to get you out of here," Misty briskly said, "Ash, let me use Bayleef.."

"Sure," he ground out from his clenched teeth, "But don't forget Pikachu."

"Of course I won't!" she huffed.

Ash fumbled, dropping his Pokèball.  As he kneeled next to his fallen friend, Brock caught it one-handed.  Brock's free hand managed to Return Onix to his own belt.  As Ash thanked him both for Onix's efforts and the catch, Brock released Bayleef.

The Grass-Type turned to her master with worry in her eyes.  Bayleef's concern was echoed by Larvitar, who had joined Misty at Ash's side.  Tears welled up in Larvitar's eyes, and the little creature clutched at Ash's chest, sobbing.

Misty put a hand on Larvitar's shoulder, but the Pokèmon slapped her away.  "Hey!  Larvitar," she said as gently as she could, "You've got to let us help Ash.  Otherwise, he won't be all right.  C'mon, back in Ash's pack.  I'll carry you.  You can trust me."

When Larvitar still didn't move, she scooped him up and dumped him in anyway.  Then she handed the struggling Pokèmon to Brock, who immediately began cooing reassuringly.  Larvitar's wide-eyed gaze from within the cloth confines didn't look soothed very much but there was nothing more to be done.

Misty returned her own backpack to its place, complete with Togepi safely ensconced within once more.  A quick command, and Corsola also Returned to her Pokèball.  Finally, she took Pikachu into her arms before commanding, "Bayleef, use Vine Whip to hold Ash on your back.  Let's go, but **don't outrun us!  We need to stick together!"**

_"Baye!" agreed the Pokèmon, gently scooping Ash up to lay her master with his back to hers.  Then the group started running back down Mount Silver.  Bayleef took the lead, despite her caution not to truly outdistance the others.  Ash closed his eyes as his vision spun and tried not to yelp at Bayleef's every jolting step._

Behind Misty, Brock could swear he saw her backpack give off a little flash of blue light just for a split second.

Then he ran face-first smack into a wall.  Not a tree or a bit of mountainside, but a good, thick, manmade wall.

As Brock tried to gather his wits, sprawled on the ground, and Larvitar howled over being dropped again, Misty and Bayleef glanced around.  "What?!" she said, "It's, it's—the Pokèmon Center!"  Indeed, she was staring up at the sign for the last such institution they'd passed.  "It's almost like we Teleported…" she continued, finally noticing Brock spread-eagled behind her on his back.

"Get up, Brock!  This is no time for a nap!" she growled, freeing one hand to pull Brock to his feet.

"Huh?  Just one more minute, Mom, school's not for an hour…" he groaned as he retrieved Larvitar.

Bayleef had already dashed inside with Ash still firmly in her grip.  Through the still-open automatic double doors, they heard Nurse Joy cry out, "Oh, dear!  Right this way, immediately!"

By the time Misty and Brock joined Bayleef with their own charges, the young man had gotten some of his marbles back.  "Hey, Misty," Brock slurred a little, rubbing his puffy nose, "This place is for Pokèmon, not people.  I'll stay with Pikachu, but you'd better take Ash to the hospital."

Down the corridor, the pretty-in-pink nurse turned back from leading Bayleef at his words.  "I can patch this bite wound up, no problem," Joy assured them firmly, "If your friend needs more, I'll help you get there myself after I've stabilized him.  Blissey, take care of that Pikachu."

The large egg-shaped Pokèmon, every bit as cheerful and pink as her mistress, took Pikachu tenderly from Misty's arms.  As Ash, Bayleef, and Joy disappeared behind the swinging ward doors, Larvitar groaned fearfully in Brock's grip.  Then, when Blissey took Pikachu out-of-sight back there as well, the little Ground- and Rock-Type had the last straw.  He shrieked out a Screech Attack at the top of his hearty little lungs, pawing desperately toward the ward doors as tears gushed anew.

Misty hurriedly tried to soothe him.  Hands firmly clasped over her ears (and doing her absolutely no good), Misty's voice was lost in the horrific blast of sound.  Brock was bouncing Larvitar up and down gently, trying to rock him, and wishing he could cover his own ears without dropping the poor little thing yet again.

Even Togepi popped back up over Misty's shoulder, trying to help his mistress with the younger Pokèmon by making silly faces and chirping, _"Togi!"_  _It was just the sort of thing Pikachu usually did to cheer Togepi himself up,_ Misty thought.

Blissey returned swiftly, looking calm as the Screech Attack continued.  Her small, dark eyes flickered a little apology to the humans.  Then, when Larvitar paused to catch his breath for another Screech, Blissey began softly Singing.

Too late, Misty remembered that Jigglypuff didn't have a monopoly on this sleep-inducing maneuver.  Within seconds, she and Brock's knees were weakening even as their eyes drooped.  Larvitar and Togepi yawned widely.  The trainers leaned forward, toppling slowly into one another.  For a instant, they stood pressed against each other, Larvitar drowsily not minding being a Pokèmon sandwich inbetween.

Blissey caught them gently in each arm as they went under completely, letting Larvitar slide down her front and into her Kangaskhan-like egg pouch.  Grinning quietly to herself, Blissey reflected it was a good thing she didn't actually have an egg at the moment.  She busied herself setting up the humans in the lobby's chairs, complete with a blanket for each.  Then she happily just let Larvitar go on sleeping inside her warm, soft pouch as she returned to the operating theater to tend Pikachu's wounds.

Meanwhile, somewhere between the brewing storm clouds above and the trees reaching heavenward below, a giant hot air balloon shaped like a Meowth's head bobbed.

"Would you hurry up!" Jesse snarled at her pilot, "We saw that bolt from the blue a long time ago!  We've got to get there before anybody else and find out what's going on!"

Meowth turned from the blower.  Since he was standing on the little control platform dead center in the balloon's basket, this brought him nearly eye level with his tall, leggy teammate.  He snapped back,  _"Well, excuse me, Miss Bubblegum Princess!  If youse weren't so busy dyeing yer hair dat stupid burple color, mebbe youse could do some woik 'round here fer a change!"_

Jesse bent over to wave a fist threateningly in Meowth's face, "What?!  Say that again, I dare you, you overgrown hairball!"

As Meowth popped his claws out, James rushed over.  He didn't dare really stand betwixt them, much less actually touch either, lest they turn their wrath on him.  So the mealy-mouthed man settled for waving his hands and smiling placatingly.  "Hello?!  Not **another** cat fight while we're flying, hmm?  I think we've all crashed often enough in our lifetimes already."

Still glaring at each other out of the corners of their eyes, his teammates turned away from each other with respective grunts.

Turning to the basket's edge to study the storm (not to mention hopefully distract his friends from mauling each other), James continued, "Hmm…maybe we should land.  That's a nasty looking storm rolling in."

Jesse joined him, resting her elbows on the edge.  The growing wind was starting to whip her hair around despite the impressive amount of hairspray she used to make her outrageous hairdo.  The dark clouds she was studying did seem fairly intimidating.  She sighed, "Looks like we've got no choice but to hoof it.  If it's so hard to keep this balloon in the air, Meowth, you should have no trouble bringing it down."

Before Meowth could reply, James pointed ahead excitedly, "Yes, hurry!  I just saw a flash of lightning!"

The cat got cut off again as Jesse leaned forward, shading her eyes one-handed to peer intently.  "That couldn't have been lightning.  It was on the ground, not in the sky.  It was white too.  Lightning is yellow."  She grimaced.  "You should know **that**."

_"Sometimes it's blue," Meowth reminded._

"Unless it comes courtesy of Pikachu," Jesse muttered.

James remained adamant.  "Didn't you see it too, Jess?  It was electricity, I'm sure of it!"

His friends turned back to him as Meowth got another word in edgewise with, "_I didn't see nutin'.  Git yer eyes checked, Jimmy."_

Jesse turned back to the outdoors.  Just in time for a Pokèmon catapulted through the air to slam into her face and knock her flat on her back against the deck.  It was hard to say which was more surprised; her or it.  The new Pokèmon flopped sideways off her kisser and laid there, trying to catch his breath.

Jesse's hands flew to her bleeding nose as she sat back up.  She didn't need her omnipresent hand mirror to know some true damage had been done to her beautiful countenance this time.  Slowly, ominously, a blast of red rose from her jacket collar, spreading across her face and making Jesse's skin stand out well against her formerly matching coif.

Oblivious, James and Meowth watched their hitchhiker getting back on his feet with wonder.  "I've never heard of such a Pokèmon," the human said, "Any ideas what it could be, Meowth?"

Meowth shrugged, _"Hold yer Ponytas fer a minute, Jimmy, and I'll find out."  Meowth jumped down from the blower and put on his best smile.  _"Yo, buddy!  What's up?  Nice weather we's havin' today, ain't it?"__

The newcomer gave him such a hard stare back that Meowth jumped into James' arms, shivering.  Their little rider stomped his feet and shook himself angrily, puffing himself up as much as he could even as he clearly sized up his opponents.

Quaking along with the scratch cat in his arms, James whined, "He looks like he's been in a fight!"

_"He looks like he's ready for anudder one!  With **us!!"  Meowth bawled.**_

Jesse had finally reached critical mass.  Absolutely livid, she stood and scooped up the new creature in one angry motion.  Holding him at arms' length, she roared, "HOW DARE YOU?!!  MY FACE!!  MY BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC FACE!!"   The sheer force of her voice peeled the newcomer's eyelids and lips back, exposing a crocodilian smile with a few fresh gaps between the teeth.  Not that Jesse cared in the least.

Meowth found enough solace in the familiar sound of Jesse screaming to quip, _"It ain't **that hot, sister."**_

His teammate turned to vent her rage at him.   The Pokèmon still in her grip took advantage of the opportunity to Bite Attack onto her forearm, good and hard.

She shrieked, releasing him.  For his part, the Pokèmon refused to let go of her, however.  Jesse smashed the Pokèmon against the side of the balloon, trapping him there with her hip.  Then she started pulling, but still the creature didn't let go.  Worse; he reached for her leg.  Jesse's thigh-high leather boots kept her safe from his feet, but the Pokèmon's clawed hands dug into her between the footwear and her microskirt.

Furiously, she beat around his head and shoulders with her free hand.  Yet the beast held on tight still.  "For once," Jesse snarled at James and Meowth, "be useful when I **need** you!"

Snapped out of their catatonia, her friends reached for one of the offender's legs each.  Once they'd gripped him firmly, they easily pulled his hold on Jesse's leg free, but the continuing Bite Attack was another matter.  Team Rocket turned the Pokèmon into the rope in a tug o' war for Jesse's arm.

Suddenly looking crafty, the Pokèmon snaked his tail around James' forearm and coiled it tight.  He released Jesse, letting her fall onto her rump, and turned back on his own tail for a snap at Meowth.  With cat-like reflexes (literally), Meowth leapt clear.  Disappointed, the creature grabbed for James even as he dangled from the youth's forearm still.  James waved his arm frantically, "Get it off me!  Get if off-off-off!!"

Jesse had her wounded arm underneath her opposite armpit to slow her bleeding.  But a particularly evil smile stole across her face, marred slightly by some dried blood caking from her nose, as she stood.  A quick tug retrieved a Pokèball from the narrow belt-style holder sewed onto the inner lining of her jacket's back.

"Go, Arbok!" she commanded, "Use Wrap Attack to get a grip on this situation!"

In a instant, the large purple snake appeared with a snarl of, _"Arrbokkk!"  Then he Wrapped his generous coils around the newcomer, pulling James free unscathed.  Wiping his brow, James turned to Jesse with heartfelt thanks._

She didn't even notice James as she bellowed, "That's it, Arbok!  Squeeze until that little sucker passes out!  I want him to know what it means to mess with me!"

His head alone sticking out above Arbok's coils, the Pokèmon howled a Roar Attack.  Arbok shivered mightily; glancing at Jesse.  He would've Returned to his Pokèball at the sound if the sight of his mistress' wounds didn't fill Arbok with rare determination.  Say what else about her you might, but Jesse did love Arbok dearly.  Not to mention how royally angry she'd be at Arbok if he failed her now.  Arbok hung on for her sake and his own alike, crushing the newcomer into submission.

Slowly, the other Pokèmon was sinking down into Arbok's relentless grip as his breath ebbed.  The new Pokèmon snarled something and Meowth gasped.  _"Whoa, brudda!  What language!"_

Finally Arbok buried the newcomer in his grasp completely.  The snake Pokèmon joined his teammates in a malicious little grin of victory

James turned to their ferocious leader, gently prodding, "Now, you just hold still for a minute while I get the first aid kit, Jesse.  Don't exert yourself."

She smiled at him quickly, but her eyes remained on Arbok.  "Wait a minute, James.  I need to finish capturing this thing first.  Arbok, loosen up a little."  She pulled an empty Pokèball from her jacket this time.

_"Yeah," Meowth chimed in happily, __"Youse two play doctor a lot awready, anyways."_

James blushed, but his lady love had more important things on her one-track mind.  As Arbok allowed his victim's head to appear once more, she readied her pitch and smiled nastily.

A white glow sprouted from the Pokèmon, spreading quickly across its small body.  _"Aarbokkk?"_ wondered the Poison-Type.

Team Rocket gasped together, "It's evolving!"

As the glow strengthened, the Pokèmon started growing.  Arbok found himself unWrapping from the creature's expanding form.  As it swelled yet larger, Arbok's companions backed up across the balloon basket.  Meowth bumped into the wall; James into him, and Jesse right on top of them both.  There was nowhere left to go, and still the Pokèmon was growing.

A Pokèball popped open.  _"Wobbuffet!"_

"Not now!" Jesse shrieked.

*********

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball.  This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Toho Eiga Inc., GameFreak, The Pokèmon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Sega Enterprises Ltd., etc.


	3. Chapter 2: Forest Fire

**Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball**

**E-Mail: Bdrodman@aol.com**

In the Pokèmon Center, Misty and Brock still slumbered peacefully in the lobby.  At least, they did until a loud, low **boom shook the ground, rattling windows and the automatic glass doors alike.**

"Wha-?!" Misty said, clutching at her blanket in confusion.

"Where-?!" Brock echoed, combing his hair with his fingers.

The circumstances of their arrival flooded back to them both at the same instant.  "Ash!" they cried.  Misty was on her feet, sending her blanket flying.  She nearly ran into Joy as the nurse dashed out of the ward doors.

Joy asked, "Are you two all right?  What was that noise?"

"Is Ash okay?" Misty returned.

The older woman suddenly got a maternal look in her eye at the sight of Misty's open concern.  Joy smiled softly and sweetly.  Gently, she put a hand on Misty's shoulder to say, "He's just fine.  A few little stitches.  I'm sure you won't even notice a scar."

At first, Misty seemed consoled.  But then she pulled back, taking umbrage at Joy's tone.  "Hey, you say that," she charged, "as if Ash was my boyfriend or something.  Which he's not."  She crossed her arms firmly.

"Of course."  But Joy was still smiling in a sappy way.

"I think," Brock broke in, "We've got something more important to deal with right now, ladies.  I swear I saw something **moving out there."**

Instinctively, both women crouched behind their side of the main door's jamb.  Brock was trying to peek into the outdoors across from them.

The storm had almost arrived in full; the winds outside howled around the Pokèmon Center from the darkening skies.  Little eddies of leaves kept getting stirred up even as the wind pulled hard on the trees, sending the foliage swaying.  The building groaned a few times.  A thick cloud cover was visibly draping Mt. Silver in a shroud as black as the darkest night.  There was no rain, nor lightning.  Yet the air was eerily charged with so much electricity that Misty could feel her hair starting to stand up.  "Pretty spooky," Misty observed quietly.

"Yeah," said a voice in her ear.  And said voice was way too deep to be Joy's.

Everybody jumped.  So did Ash, Pikachu, and Blissey standing behind the women.  "Hey!" Ash yelled, "What are you guys scaring us like that for?!"

"Us?!" Misty returned, "What are you doing, sneaking around?  You should be in bed!"

Joy threw a inquisitive glance around the arguing kids at her assistant.  Blissey shrugged in a "_I couldn't stop him" fashion and nodded toward Ash's leg.  The Pokèmon hadn't had time to sew up Ash's jeans as well as his leg, so Joy could see the pink puffy shine of the wound through the cloth's gaping hole._

"It's all right," she literally pointed out to Ash's friends, "Blissey used Softboiled.  You and Pikachu will be fine…**if you get some rest, young man.  Back to bed, both of you, immediately!"**

Stubborn as Ash was, even he would normally obey Nurse Joy or any other authoritative adult in such a situation.  But he had a valid reason to protest this time and said so.  "But Nurse Joy, what about that noise that woke me up?  I think it might have something to do with the new Pokèmon we saw today!"  _"Pika-pika!"_

Joy frowned and put her hands on her hips.  "And would that be how you ended up in my care?  I think we'd better get on the vidphone to Officer Jenny, and you can tell us both all about this strange - and obviously hostile - Pokèmon."

Ash grudgingly turned back to do just that, but whirled around again at Brock's cry of, "Wait!  I just saw it again!"

Misty and Joy quickly returned to hogging their side of the doorjamb.  Not daring to cross the glass gap to Brock's half of the entrance and be visible to anyone - or any_thing - outside, Ash settled for peeking out the bottom of a window alongside Blissey.  Pikachu and Togepi alike sat on their respective trainers' shoulders for their own look._

For an instant, the winds died down.  Ash had a split second to feel the electrical charge in the air before it rushed away, like a swift tide pulling from shore.  And just like that phenomenon, the precursor to a tidal wave, the electricity returned with a sparkling vengeance that spread across the sky.

Outlined in the glow was a large Pokèmon looming ominously over the treetops some distance away.  He was still in the mountain's rugged, shifting terrain proper and was probably standing on a hill to allow a good view in his hunt for his prey.  As the aurora crackled overhead, he turned his profile to the group and threw back his head to howl a challenge at the skies.  Then the sound and the aurora died together, save their echoes, and the outside world finally went jet black as the storm had its way.

Everyone within the Pokèmon Center was trying to pick their jaws up off the floor.  Her face nearly as white as her medical apron, Joy stammered, "Is…is that…was it…"

"Yeah," Ash returned shakily, "I think…"

Regaining most of his composure, Brock realized, "It must have evolved."

Misty rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the fading impression of that huge Pokèmon burned into her vision.  Besides the plain size increase, its proportions had changed as well.  The stranger had lost the chubby, baby-fat look of so many small and young Pokèmon.  It looked lean, large, and was definitely in charge as far as she was concerned.  The weird thing was, she could've sworn it had sprouted a single row of triangular spikes down its back.  Like a Rhydon or a Feraligatr.

Suddenly Misty realized the Center's outdoors lights had come on automatically; triggered by the darkened sky.  And the realization that this isolated building, on the edge of the unspoiled Pokèmon preserve, was by far the closest light for miles gave her a very bad feeling.  "Nurse Joy," she said in an unusually high-pitched voice, "maybe we should shut the lights off.  Just in case."

Joy prompted Blissey, "Quick, kill the lights.  I'm calling Officer Jenny."  Her assistant stepped around the reception desk to reach one of the main control panels.  By the time Blissey was flipping the switches, Joy had crossed to the vidphone and dialed for the cops.  Behind the nurse, Brock thoughtfully picked up a blanket.  "Here," he offered as the entire Center went dark, "This will shield the viewscreen."

The nurse gave him a smile and a thanks as Brock draped the blanket gently over her head and the vidphone alike.  Ash didn't need the lights on to know Brock was blushing as his friend cooed, "You're welcome, Nurse Joy."

Joy peeked at Brock from beneath her cover to ask, "Say, what was your name again?"  Brock fell flat to the floor with surprise and a thud.

Misty politely pointed out herself and her friends, introducing each in turn.  Joy thanked her before diving back under her blanket.  Misty and Togepi then joined Ash and Pikachu in warily staring out into a forest cloaked in utter darkness.  "Do you think that first noise was a sonic boom or something?  The one that woke us up?" she wondered.

Despite Brock's blanket, there was just enough light for Ash's eyes to catch and sparkle when he glanced at her.  "Maybe.  But it kinda sounded to me like when we pop Team Rocket's hot air balloon or something.  Just a lot louder.  It sure wasn't that Pokèmon roaring."

"That's the truth," Misty shivered, recalling that eerie sound.

Ash continued, "This is one weird storm.  You think that caused the noise?  I hear a lot of thunder, but no more lightning."

Misty listened carefully for a moment.  Ash was right.  There were repeated peals of thunder, low and pounding, coming from the storm.  In fact, the thunder was repeating itself quite often - and on a very regular basis.  Like the thunder was really the sound of footsteps…and was it her imagination, or could she could feel a slight tremor shaking the building to go along with it?  No, it seemed to have stopped…

Her concentration was broken at a sound neither she nor Ash had ever heard before: Nurse Joy groaning in frustration.  "The vidphone's full of static," she complained, "I'm not getting through."

Ash and Misty stepped to her side as Joy shut the machine off, pulling her blanket aside.  Ash wondered, "Could the lines be cut or something?"

"No," Joy responded, "It's wireless.  This electrical storm must be jamming it somehow."

Another suggestion came to Misty's lips.  And it died there, as the sound of several pairs of running feet (human-sized, mercifully) came pelting into the Center's front yard.  For a moment, all within the building listened silently to those without as the newcomers paused to gasp for breath.

Then a very familiar feminine voice snapped, "There's nothing here, James!  You lead us the wrong way!"

An equally familiar whine came back, "I saw house lights, I swear it!"  Then he bellowed, "Hello?!  Anybody out there!  Please help us!"

Ash whispered, "Blissey, turn on the outside lights, OK?"

Once the Pokèmon did so, Team Rocket stood revealed in all their surprised glory.  Which wasn't very glorious, considering all the leaves, scratches, and broken-off bits of shrubbery covering them from their blind, dead run through Mt. Silver's forest.  "Eeeepp!" the trio gasped simultaneously, "Who's there!?!"

With a grin and a definite swagger, Ash stepped out of the front door to gloat, "Never thought I'd see the day Team Rocket begged me for help."

Ash was definitely the last person Jesse wanted to see right then.  "Bite me, twerp," she drew herself up haughtily, "If a couple grown-ups like us need help, it's not coming from a little kid like you.  Now get out of my way; I need to make a phone call."  She strode forward confidently.

Naturally, Ash and Pikachu didn't budge, although he did point curiously at the wounds on her face and arm.  "It's no go, the phone's out.  What happened to you, anyway?  You're all ripped up."

The youth's concern only made Jesse's face tighter, "None of your business!"

Her growl slapped away any sympathy Ash had.  Despite her considerable height advantage, Ash locked his gaze to Jesse's in a war of the wills.  With a smirk, Jesse folded her arms and kept her back straight so she wouldn't lower herself to Ash's level.  Yet she didn't go around him either, waiting arrogantly for Ash to move as she'd commanded.

As he and Jesse continued trying to stare each other down, the others piled out the door to give Ash some support.  Misty quizzed James, "It does seem weird to hear you guys want to call Officer Jenny."

"Why, Little Miss Red," James said in an insufferably self-righteous tone, "Who said anything about the cops?"

_"Yeah," Meowth chimed in, __"We's wants ta call da Boss and get us some **real help.  You know, da big guns."**_

"Why?" she returned.

The crashing footsteps had resumed in the distance.  Now they were growing closer and louder with each boom; smashing purposefully through the forest in a direct line toward the Pokèmon Center's brightly shining front porch lights.

_"Dat's why!!" Meowth shrieked._

Ash stepped in front of everyone (even Jesse), his jaw set firmly.  In a tone that brooked no argument, he said, "Head for Silver Town.  Get Officer Jenny.  We'll hold him off."  At his side as always, Pikachu's bristling fur and sparking cheeks underscored his growl of, _"Pikaaaa!"_

_"Now's our chance!" Meowth cried happily to his teammates, _"Let da twerp play wit Godzilla while we's makes a break fer it!"__

Even Meowth's fellow fiends turned to him in surprise over that one.  It was Jesse who said wonderingly, "Godzilla?"

Taking a haughty air, Meowth turned his back to the entire group and folded his arms.  _"**Some people 'round here gots an edication.  I'm bilingual, ya know."**_  Then he turned back, taking up a claws-out position that was definitely mocking Godzilla's usual menacing pose.  _"Youse dare challenge Godzilla, King o' da Monsters?  He's kinda full of hisself, ain't he?"_

Jesse waved her fist, "You're not a people!  I keep telling you that!"

Ignoring the ensuing argument, Misty stepped up to Ash's side while Togepi sunk into her backpack.  "You can't do this, Ash!  Godzilla looked a lot bigger and tougher.  And he already beat Pikachu before he evolved, too!"

He opened his mouth to argue with her, but was interrupted by Joy's firm command, "Get going, all of you.  Don't come back without Officer Jenny."

The friends were reluctant to leave the kindly nurse, despite the no-nonsense look she was giving them.  Pikachu leapt forward, clutching at Joy's fluffy knee-length skirt hem.  He tried to pull her along to safety gently, prodding, _"Pika?  Pikachu!"_

She smiled thankfully down at the little Electric-Type's concern, but her eyes remained hard.  "I've got some Pokèmon in the intensive care ward in there," she explained, "It's too dangerous to transport them, even by Pokèball teleporter.  I can't abandon them.  Go.  Don't worry; I'm not taking Godzilla head-on.  If worst comes to worst, I'll lead him away from the Pokèmon Center as a distraction."

"More like a sacrifice," Ash shook his head, "We can't just…"  But he was stopped by Blissey reaching into her egg pouch, gently scooping up the still-sleeping Larvitar.  She presented him to a deflated Ash, who took Larvitar into his arms.  Now Ash felt trapped.  Who needed his help more:  Joy and her infirm Pokèmon, or the baby Larvitar entrusted to his care?

Joy began arguing some more, but her words were lost as Godzilla's approach was starting to drown out theirs' and Team Rocket's conversation alike.  Suddenly all too aware of the encroaching monster, the evil trio clutched at each other and shivered.  All three teammates found themselves just as rooted to the spot by a mixture of fear and morbid fascination as their erstwhile enemies nearby.

The sounds crashing through the forest were very close and very loud; right at the treeline bordering the steeply-inclined path up the mountain Ash and the others had taken previously, in fact.  Then, still outside the range of light and quite invisible, Godzilla stopped.

Everyone strained their eyes and ears into the moaning, swaying trees.  Nothing.

Daring to whisper, Misty wondered, "Maybe he went away after all?"

The thought filled Team Rocket with relief.  Not to mention false bravado.  Meowth again struck up a mocking pose, grinning, _"Not so tough afta all, is ya?  'I'm Godzilla, I'm bad'…HAH!  Too chicken ta face me, ya mean!"_

From overhead, Team Rocket's badly tattered balloon basket dropped to land squarely at their feet.  It looked like a well-used chew toy.  They yelped; both James and Meowth jumped into Jesse's arms.  Her knees were knocking with supporting their combined weight and her own terror alike as she stared up over the treetops.  Like a Meowth himself, Godzilla's unblinking stare reflected the light back at her from far too great a height for her liking.

Everyone had been looking much too low in the treeline for Godzilla.  He hadn't been standing on a hill before; he was now thirty feet tall all by himself.  Another flash of lightning gave his snarling grin and glowing eyes a hellish highlight as he glowered down at the assembled trainers.  As the lightning died out, Godzilla threw his head back and roared to the heavens.  His captive audience remained immobile at the sight of those gleaming teeth and gaping, dark red maw.

With a sneer of disgust, Godzilla lashed out with a Tail Whip.  He uprooted trees and Team Rocket alike, sending it all flying with an oh-so-familiar cry in triplicate, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaiiinnn!!!"  _"Wobbuffetttt!"_

Yet Godzilla deliberately missed the other humans, leaving them to face his cold stare again while a few trees crashed back to earth around them.  Ash sensed a lot more confidence, perhaps even a great deal of comfort, in his opponent now that Godzilla was a lot bigger than his surroundings.  He was still very angry, however.  Godzilla waited, patiently, for Ash to make the first move.

He did.  Ash ran to Godzilla's right, away from the Pokèmon Center and the distant Silver Town alike.  Waving his arms madly, Ash called, "Hey!  Over here!  I beat you before, remember?  Want a piece of me?"  Keeping pace, Pikachu sent sparks rippling across his own body just for a good attention-grabbing measure.

Godzilla snarled and took a step after him, only to catch Misty's cry of, "No, over here!"  She headed in the opposite direction.  Godzilla's gaze followed her for a few steps, only to be distracted by Brock yelling, "Hah!  You can't catch me!" at the top of his lungs in yet another direction.  Joy was off and running, Blissey at her heels, both calling for his attention too.

The monster growled in frustration.  Then yet another signal caught his senses despite the shifting winds.  He sniffed curiously.  Within seconds, Godzilla homed in on the unattended Pokèmon Center.  His eyes lit up as Godzilla saw through their distraction attempt.  With a gleeful roar, Godzilla pounded across the yard toward the building.  Each trainer froze in their tracks; Brock covered his eyes with his hand because he couldn't bear to watch.

Godzilla stopped just shy of crashing into the Center's walls.  His glare moving one at a time to each of the humans spread around him, Godzilla slowly lifted a single clawed hand over the defenseless institution's roof and held it there with a definite note of challenge in his golden eyes.

Joy's face was a mask of horror.  "Please!" she begged, "Don't!"

Godzilla roared and brought his hand up in the beginning of a furious swipe at her helpless patients.

"Onix, I choose you!" Brock roared, "Bind, now!"

Godzilla's blow was stopped cold by Onix's granite body materializing between the monster and the rooftop.  Startled by the light of Onix's appearance from his Pokèball, Godzilla backed up a couple steps.  He found Onix wrapping his long, strong coils around him in a determined Bind Attack.  Onix roared with righteous fury, plainly daring Godzilla to pick on somebody his own size.

Despite this, Ash could almost see a smile play across Godzilla's lips.  This seemed to be exactly what the monster had been waiting for.  Howling a defiant answer back, Godzilla sent spirals of rippling flame sprouting from his very skin to envelop Onix and himself alike:  a blistering Flame Wheel Attack.

Onix growled low in his throat.  Being a Rock- and Ground-Type made the stone snake doubly resistant to Fire attacks.  He wasn't even sweating yet.  Brock encouraged, "Hold on, Onix!  Keep holding him with Bind…I know!  Pull him down, over there!"  Onix heaved his tremendous weight to the side, deliberately toppling Godzilla over and away from the Pokèmon Center, rather than risking their falling directly on it during their wrestling match.

Which, unfortunately, wasn't such a good idea after all, considering Godzilla's continuing Flame Wheel barrage.  Mt. Silver's forest was set alight.  Everyone suddenly had plenty of light to see by now as the blaze leapt from branch to branch.  The forest fire was near-instantly whipped to a frenzy by the howling storm still barren of rain.  Brock moaned and pulled at his hair in self-deprecating horror as the Pokèmon, still locked in combat, rolled and clawed and snarled.

Misty cried out, unleashing her Corsola and Politoed for fire control.  Psyduck appeared as well even though he wasn't called for.  Grimacing, Misty tried to make the best of it with, "Okay!  Triple Water Gun, now!"  Gamely, Psyduck cried, _"Psyyducckk!" and puckered his bill; but nothing came forth.  Misty groaned and Recalled Psyduck, not in the least surprised.  Ignoring their comrade and their trainer alike, Politoed and Corsola continued trying to restrain the blaze._

Ash reached for Totodile at his belt to join in, but caught sight of Joy and Blissey making a mad dash back to the Center.  He compromised.  "Totodile," he called out his friend, "Do whatever Misty tells you and help her out!"  For once, even Totodile knew this was no time for dancing.  He added his own Water Gun to Misty's Pokèmon without a boogie or a complaint as Ash raced after Joy.

The boy and Pikachu found both medical workers at their center's Pokèball transport unit.  Joy already had the machine on, but the nearby vidphone was still refusing to contact anybody.  She was telling Blissey, "We'll just have to trust somebody will answer the transport signal and move the Pokèball aside so we can send the next one.  We've got no choice but to try now."  The nurse sighed, but brightened a little.  "At least the teleporter's underground link cable is still functioning."

She turned at Ash's query of, "Can I help, Nurse Joy?"

"Yes," she pointed into a nearby ward, "Each Pokèball has a tray with the trainer ID number and Pokèmon's species on it.  Help Blissey match them up and bring them here, quickly."

Leaving Larvitar with Joy, Ash got some relief when the baby didn't complain.  Of course, few Pokèmon would mind spending lots of time with Nurse Joy.  Quickly he and Pikachu aided Blissey in her work.  It looked like only a dozen incapacitated Pokèmon at most.  Of course, that was more than enough to make him hurry and worry.

At least the injured were in no condition to resist the command to Return to their Pokèballs from somebody besides their own masters.

Outside, Brock had added Geodude to Misty's flame-retardant team so he would still be free to help Onix.  The youth glowered as the battle played out.  Although his Flame Wheel continued flaring on and off again as his limbs struggled, Godzilla couldn't break free of Onix's secure Bind.  On the other hand, Godzilla didn't seem in any danger of passing out anytime soon as Onix kept squeezing desperately.

It was a stalemate.  Brock's desperation to redeem himself was inflaming his frustration just like the roaring forest fire he'd accidentally triggered.  "He's a Fire-Type," Brock groaned aloud, "We should've had him on the ropes by now!  What's **with this guy?!"**

The future Pokèmon breeder realized it was time to change tactics.  "Stop using Bind, Onix!" he shouted and hoped his Pokèmon could hear him over the clamor, "Pull away so we can do some **real damage!"**

Apparently Onix could hear him quite well.  The snake rolled Godzilla over again, burying the monster's face in the soft, overturned earth for a distraction as Onix pulled free.  Godzilla finally cut out his Flame Wheel Attack too as he regained his feet.  Not that there was much foliage left around the two giants anyway.  Godzilla roared angrily, spitting some dirt from his maw and wiping his eyes clean.

Brock grinned maliciously, "Let's see you take this!  Onix, Earthquake!"

Onix bellowed and rose on his coils.  The mighty Pokèmon then slammed his full weight against the earth.  The sound alone shattered every window in the Pokèmon Center.  Yet the highly focused tremor itself rippled only from Onix to his target.

When the unstoppable force of Onix's Earthquake met the immovable object that was Godzilla, the earth crashed and bucked like a ferocious ocean-going storm.

Godzilla was trapped in the roiling waves of ground.  He was pummeled by multiple blows even as the raging Earthquake ripped the ground open beneath his feet.  Sinking one leg up to his knee in a fissure, Godzilla roared and got some more dirt in his mouth as the subsiding waves kept crashing against him.

"Go, Onix!  Follow up with Rock Slide!"  Brock tried to remain focused; his eyes (what was visible of them, anyway) and his mouth still stern.  The battle wasn't over yet.

Narrow vents alongside Godzilla's single row of back spikes spit quick jets of small flame as Godzilla took a deep breath.  As Onix reared up at his command, Brock realized that Godzilla did have a lot in common with Cyndaquil as he's guessed earlier.

Onix crashed his upper half sideways into the mountainside, sending a Rock Slide tumbling as the still-trapped Godzilla spewed a generous Flamethrower from his gaping maw.  The fiery heat beam sprayed across the incoming rocks, knocking most of the furious barrage aside, as he pulled his captured limb free.

Onix snarled with frustration himself.  Warily, the two giant Pokèmon studied each other for a moment.  Godzilla's eyes took in Onix's stone skin, baked black by his Flame Wheel assaults but otherwise unharmed.  The King of the Monsters' gaze flicked off to the side at the sound of Misty's firefighters using Water Gun against the blaze once more.  He growled thoughtfully to himself.

With a rush of confidence, Onix reared up and snarled a challenge.  Godzilla answered in kind, dashing forward even as his back expelled excess flame again.  "Flamethrower's not gonna cut it," Brock observed, "but this will!  Onix, Slam Attack!"

Having learned something from Pikachu's earlier Thunderbolt Attack on himself, Godzilla stopped cold at a distance from Onix and spit his Flamethrower with a snarl.  Onix ignored the blast playing across his chest and face completely.  Instead, as he was bid by his master, Onix swung his tail around in a blow far too mighty to be called a mere Tail Whip.

Godzilla has miscalculated the safe distance he'd needed to keep.  Onix's tail caught him broadside, sweeping the monster off his feet to crash sideways into the forest.  Godzilla howled and tried to push to his feet, but Brock yelled, "Slam, again!"

Just as Godzilla stood, Onix slithered forward and brought the front half of his serpentine body down across the monster's back this time.  Godzilla slammed (literally) back down against the foliage.

Onix backed up a little, giving Brock a good view of his opponent.  To the amazement of trainer and Pokèmon alike, Godzilla shakily propped himself up on his palms.  For a second, it looked like the monster was trying to get his feet back under him.

But instead of straightening up fully, Godzilla rushed forward and drove his shoulder into Onix's chest in a Body Slam.  Onix was taken by surprise; he rocked backward and snarled but yet he stood firm.

Brock snarled too.  It took a lot to get the cool-headed youth's ire up, but Godzilla's unrepentant bloodlust and willingness to use Joy's patients as hostages just to get in a decent fight had his blood boiling.  "Onix, finish it!  Rock Slide, again!"

Once more Onix's tail swung around.  This time he aimed for the mountain's trail and the quickly-increasing slope found there.  At Onix's blow, the rock shattered and rained down in huge chunks on Godzilla and Onix alike.  But with an easy Dig Attack, Onix dove face-first into the earth to escape his own assault.

Godzilla had no such maneuver to rely on.  He snarled and clutched as his foe, but Onix's corkscrewing body merely spun itself out of his grip even as the Rock Slide buried him.  Within seconds, both battling Pokèmon were lost to view in a confusing shower of dust and fire-bred smoke.  Onix only added more fuel to the mix when he popped back up, near Brock, in a plume of displaced earth.

Coughing, Brock fished out a handkerchief to screen his mouth and nose with as he ran forward.  By the time he'd drawn next to Onix, the forest had cleared enough for him to see the relocated slope where Godzilla was buried.  At one end was the monster's tail, twitching feebly.  On the other was a bit of his snout, breathing rhythmically but quite unconscious.  Brock finally relaxed.

"Fantastic job, Onix!" Brock cried.  He turned to give his friend a well-deserved hug, but thought better of it in an instant.  Onix's skin has absorbed so much heat between all those fire attacks and the continuing forest's blaze that the Pokèmon glowed softly like molten rock.  Sweat was popping up on Brock's face and hands even at this distance.

Seeing Brock's reluctance to touch him, Onix moaned out an apology.  Brock smiled it away, adding, "It's not your fault.  I'm so proud of you, I could just use Explosion with joy!"  Onix threw his head back and roared a victory cry.

Both got sheepish quickly, however, when Misty bellowed, "OK!  Enough patting yourselves on the back!  You've still gotta put out the fire **you** guys started!"

"She's right!  Onix, Dig round the perimeter of the fire and make a firewall!"  Brock pointed out the path he wanted his Pokèmon to take.  Onix rumbled, both in his throat and down into the ground headfirst.

Misty turned to her helpers.  Each and every one had been fighting the blaze nonstop during the battle.  They all looked as exhausted and filthy as she was.  Misty pulled herself up straight, feeling Togepi wiggle in her backpack.

Her smile was a heavy mixture of relief and stern reminder.  "You've all done a fantastic job, but we're not finished yet.  Let's help Brock and Onix finish this forest fire off!  Are you with me?!"  The assembled Pokèmon raised their limbs in a little cheer to match her own pose.

As her troops fell back to work, Misty turned at the sound of two sets of footsteps behind her.  Clutching Larvitar and with Pikachu at his feet, Ash joined Brock in catching up with her.  "Wow," Ash said, "I can't believe you guys.  You beat Godzilla **and stopped the fire!"  _"Piiikaaaa!!"_**

Misty struck up a proud little feminine pose, one hand on her hip and the other curled behind her head.  She asked snidely, "Is it that you can't believe we did it without **you**, Ash, or that we did it at all?"

To her surprise, Ash only gave a lopsided grin.  "All right, all right, Misty.  You did it without me.  Satisfied?"  For one of the first times in her life, Misty had no idea how to respond to something Ash said.  She deflated as a new look came into her eyes in response to Ash's warm gaze.  Maybe, just maybe, Ash was **finally** catching on and responding to her subtle approach…

Ash quickly grew very uncomfortable from the way Misty was looking at him.  Suddenly, he added, "OK, not all by yourself.  Me and Pikachu did get the Center's Pokèmon to safety, after all."  Misty threw herself to the ground in shock.

Then she bounded back up, her temper flaring.  "Ash," she growled, "You're gonna need Nurse Joy to put **you back together in a second!!"  Brock and Pikachu, each rubbing an imaginary itch on their backs to cover their embarrassment, were now feeling stuck.  Quickly they weighed the hazards of stepping in to save Ash's life versus having Misty's anger come down on themselves.**

Brock settled for quickly deflecting Misty with a none-too-subtle, "Misty, umm, I, hey!  I've still got this fire I made I could use help with!  Heh heh."  When she snarled at him, Brock looked at his feet and admitted quietly, "I'm an idiot.  Please don't kill me."

"Men!!" she roared, and stomped off to lead the clean-up.  As Brock wiped the sweat off his brow, Ash turned to him to say, "Thanks, Brock.  I owe you one."

"You bet you do," Brock replied, "I'd rather armwrestle a Machamp than do that again.  C'mon, Ash, I know what she means to you.  What you mean to each other, really.  Why can't you just ask Misty out on a date like normal people do, for crying out loud?"

Now Ash's own anger, fueled by his embarrassment, was coming up.  "Sure, I'll take love life advice from you, Brock!  How many girls did you make run screaming from you **this** week, anyway?"  The boys were now staring hard at each other; Brock's arms were crossed but Ash still held Larvitar.

The pupa Pokèmon wasn't sure what they were arguing about, but he didn't want to be between them right then.  Both humans ignored Pikachu hopping around their feet, smiling and trying to break it up.

But neither could ignore Joy's soft, "Ahem.  Boys?"

Ash and Brock looked behind themselves as they flushed with surprise.  Ash wondered how much she'd heard of the whole thing (_or worse, how much she might tell Misty?_) as Joy quietly prompted, "The Pokèmon Center in Silver Town reports safe receipt of all the injured Pokèmon.  They're using the teleporter line to blink out a signal in Morse code, so I asked them to send Officer Jenny."

"Really?" Ash gasped, "You know Morse code, Nurse Joy?"

"Oh, yes," she replied, "I learned it as a Pidgey Scout when I was a little girl.  Got all my merit badges.  First time I ever needed it, though.  Anyway, Jenny is enroute even as we speak."

Brock turned to study the still-silent mound of earth where Godzilla lay.  "Did she say what she'd bring to get a handle on Godzilla?"  The thought of the lady cop trying to stuff the enormous Pokèmon into the sidecar of her vehicle made him grin, "She's gonna need a bigger motorcycle."

A short distance away, Onix roared.  The Pokèmon had completed cutting off the untouched portion of the forest from the blaze and was awaiting further instruction.  Brock excused himself and trotted off, planning to apologize to Joy profusely for the fire at the next chance he got.  With a quiet nod, Blissey offered to literally take Larvitar off Ash's hands and back to her egg pouch.  He let her gratefully.

Ash glanced around.  Everybody else was well out of overhearing range.  So he turned to Joy and for once, his confidence was merely a facade.  "So, Nurse Joy," he began a little too heartily, "Speaking of way back when you were a little girl…"

She cocked an eyebrow at that, but let it pass.

"I'm sure you must've, umm, had guys, uhh…well, uh…" Realizing he'd just insulted the person he was trying to ask nicely for advice only added to the pressure of keeping a nonchalant pose over such delicate matters.  Ash tried to hold himself together and was failing miserably.  Still, Joy waited patiently for him to continue.

Swallowing hard, he forced out, "If they wanted to ask you out…you know, _if, they might've asked you by, uhh…"_

"I recommend a nice card and some flowers, since she looks so mad right now," Joy smiled that same sappy grin of before, "Do you know what kind of flowers Misty likes, Ash?"

Ash jumped out of his skin at Misty's name.  "Oh, no, not _her.  And not you either!" he quickly corrected; lest the adult mistake him for Brock, "But somebody!  You know, __if…somebody…yeah."_

Joy couldn't resist teasing.  Putting a hand to her chest as she reared back in mock horror, she cried, "Not me either?!  Am I really that repulsive, Ash?!"

While his master tried in vain to get his foot someplace other than his mouth, Totodile was being directed over toward where Godzilla lay.  A few trees caught up in the Rock Slide Attack were still smoldering and Misty wasn't taking any chances.

Besides, since Godzilla was plainly a Fire-Type, a little water could only help keep him under control if worst came to worst.

So it was that Totodile bounced on his heels over to where he was sent.  _"Toto!  Totodile!"_ he cheered himself on.  Suddenly fearful, the reptile stopped to reassure himself of Godzilla's continued slumber by studying the beast's breathing for a moment.  Godzilla's nostrils flared and fell with enough regularity to make Totodile wipe the sweat from his own brow with a swish.  His happy patter restored, Totodile began picking his way up the side of the Rock Slide toward his leafy targets.

He almost stepped in Godzilla's open eye, which turned in its socket to study him intently.

_"Totodiiiille!!"_

The mound was lit from within by a bright purple flash.  Brock moaned, "No!  He used Recover again!" as Godzilla burst forth from his prison angrily.

Onix roared several times, trying to draw Godzilla's attention even as he moved quickly to get between the opposing Pokèmon and the helpless humans.  Godzilla took advantage of that distraction to rove his gaze over the stone snake's still-glowing skin.  Then he ignored Onix and the trainers alike to scoop up the escaping Totodile in a single massive hand.

Godzilla pointed his captive at Onix even as the Rock-Type received the command to use Slam once more.  As Onix bore down on him, Godzilla squeezed his fist shut fiercely.  Poor Totodile couldn't hold his water under that kind of pressure.  _"Toto-urkkkk!!!"_ and he spit a fierce Water Gun stream.

Normally, a high-level creature like Brock's Onix still might shrug off a weak move from such a lower-level Pokèmon.  But when the cool water hit Onix's superheated skin, there was a resounding crack.  Onix stopped cold; not daring to even breathe.

Godzilla, confident the damage had already been done, tossed his unwilling assistant over his shoulder unceremoniously.  Putting his frog legs to good use, Politoed effortlessly leapt twenty feet into the air to catch Totodile and return both safely to earth.

Brock, Ash, and Misty were gagging on their own horror.  A large gap had appeared in Onix's chest.  And it was spreading rapidly in a spiderweb fashion across the Pokèmon's body.  Onix's skin cracked like thunder as each new fissure split open.

Within seconds, great sheaths of Onix's outer Rock-Type shell were sloughing off his body like stone leaves dropping from a chilled autumn tree.  Beneath, the Pokèmon's soft inner body glowed pale in the remaining firelight.

Despite it all, Onix reared back and bellowed a challenge.  "No!" Brock cried, "Onix, Return!  Please!"  But the Recall beam merely bounced off Onix as the self-sacrificing Pokèmon ignored it.

Bereft of his protection and a skinny shadow of his former self, Onix crashed against Godzilla in a Slam Attack.  The King of the Monsters reeled with the blow; Onix still had plenty of weight (not to mention muscle) to throw around.  But Godzilla's clawed feet dug into the ground and held him upright.  Godzilla came back, clamping his jaws at the base of Onix's throat and gripping the Pokèmon in a deadly embrace.

Onix's tail swished around in another Slam that bought him freedom.  Godzilla howled as he tumbled onto his side, but already his own tail was slicing through the air into a Slam Attack of his own.  Onix took it across the face, shaking his head groggily.  Godzilla did a Body Slam into Onix and trapped the other creature beneath him.

Frantically, Brock continued trying to get Onix to Return.  But as the two beasts locked in combat thrashed and wrestled, it was hard to tell if Onix was still disobeying or if Brock just didn't have a clean bead on his friend.

Ash and Misty had managed to Return their own friends now that Godzilla had no need for them anymore.  Along with Pikachu, Joy, Geodude, and Blissey, they raced to Brock's side, each trying to think of some way to help.  Geodude bellowed and made to try to intercede; Brock hastily Recalled his friend from only hurting himself.

Godzilla gave Onix a Headbutt to the chin.  As the snake's eyes rolled in their sockets, Godzilla reached around for a firm grip on Onix's tail.  Then the King of the Monsters lifted his opponent completely into the air, only to slam Onix back down into the ground time and again.  Onix moaned weaker each time.

The tremors of his impacts shook the humans down to their teeth.  As he tried to maintain his footing, Brock's spinning arms dropped the all-important Pokèball.  As Brock scuttled after the bouncing, rolling device on all fours, the much more sure-footed Pikachu leapt to the front of the pack.

This strange storm was still making the mouse's fur stand on end with excess energy.  The little glint in Pikachu's eye said he had a pretty good idea what to do with it.

_"PIKKA-CHUUUU!!"  But the Thunder Attack went not at Godzilla; it went straight up into the clouds.  It was the last spark the storm needed.  The raging clouds finally burst forth a torrent of rain so strong it felt like hailstones pelting the trainers instead.  Pikachu grinned to himself; surely such a downpour would be the end of the Fire-Type's resistance._

Godzilla started when the rain gushed across him.  For a moment, he held his beaten opponent loosely as the rain splattered across his scales.  His eyes half-closed and his head leaned back with obvious pleasure.  Pikachu gasped.

So did Misty.  "Could it be?" she wondered aloud, "A half Fire-Type…**and** half Water?"

Ash was quick to point out Misty's oddball leanings for once.  "There's no such thing, Misty.  There can't be; that's impossible.  There isn't one Pokèmon in all the world like that!"

"But," she raised a hand, then dropped it futilely, "Look at him.  Just look at him."

But the rainy distraction did have one good effect; Brock's hand firmly clasped his wayward Pokèball.  "Return, Onix!" and with that the unconscious Pokèmon was whisked to comparative safety.

The disappearance of his victim from his very grip was not lost on Godzilla.  The monster roared; first with surprise, then anger.  His back spewed flame and Godzilla leaned forward with a vicious snap…and the Flamethrower that roared from his throat was washed from the wind by the raging storm.  Snarling, Godzilla advanced to trample this annoying bunch of humans beneath his feet instead.

Ash cried, "Run!!"  Not that anybody needed his prompting.  At first, their luck seemed to hold; the group was close enough to the Pokèmon Center that they fled around it for a makeshift shield.  "Keep going!" Ash again reminded; again unnecessarily.  He didn't trust the building to stop their determined foe.

He was right.  Godzilla tore directly through the Pokèmon Center like it was tissue paper.  The gas lines caught a spark from the electrical components as both were rent asunder.  For a moment, the darkness was expunged by a fireball as the building disintegrated.  Godzilla howled in pain; but Ash didn't hear him slow down behind.  _At least_, he thought, _this rain will put out any fires that start up this time._

As the fireball quickly died, the fleeing humans and Pokèmon were plunged into darkness.  A complete, pitch, total darkness.  Its energy finally released in rain, the storm seemed to have no more electricity to spare for even a little lightning-borne illumination.  Instead the raging winds pelted the weary runners with leaves and water alike, obscuring their vision and whipping branches and bushes into their path.

But behind it all, Godzilla's thunderous footfalls continued.  The monster seemed to have little trouble sensing his way in the blackout conditions.  _Like a Water-Type in deep ocean, Ash shivered in his mind, _Misty was right._  And Godzilla was gaining rapidly._

Ash stopped, desperately trying to get a bead on his surroundings.  Or better yet, find Misty and make sure she was all right.  He gulped; realizing that he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face in the swirling night.  He called for Misty and Pikachu but the wind snatched even the words away.  Only Godzilla's approach could be heard.  Ash started running again.

His blood turned cold as Godzilla roared triumphantly.

*********

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball.  This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Toho Eiga Inc., GameFreak, The Pokèmon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Sega Enterprises Ltd., etc.


	4. Chapter 3: Red Memories

**Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball**

**E-Mail: Bdrodman@aol.com**

Ash never saw the Tail Whip coming.  But it lifted him up effortlessly just the same.  Ash's scream joined his friends' as it was they who blasted off (with Joy and Blissey as special guests) into the atmosphere for once.  As they flew into the air, Ash was momentarily blinded as Godzilla lit up head to toe with a fierce white light.  Ash barely had time to wonder what had happened mid-flight before his landing came.

The group splashed down into a large lake.  At that speed, it was almost as good as landing on solid ground.  The wind and his hat knocked from him, Ash gurgled and groaned beneath the waves.  He turned and kicked powerfully; hoping he was actually heading up and not down in the continuing darkness.

When Ash's head broke the water, he tried to call out for his friends even as he gagged up the water he'd inhaled on impact.  By the choking sounds nearby, Ash was reassured that Joy and Blissey had made it as well.  They were close enough that he could even hear Larvitar's frightened cries over the winds.

Ash's eyes were adjusting quickly.  The group had come down in the large lake nestled within Silver Town's center.  They'd landed near the shore and the streetlights provided more than enough illumination for him to pick out Blissey bobbing like a big pink buoy.  Larvitar was bailing water out of her egg pouch with both hands as Joy clung to Blissey's smooth side.  At least the lake's center was deep enough that the storm could only stir up large but comparatively gentle swells across its rain-pelted surface.

Blissey caught his gaze and the Pokèmon alerted her mistress to Ash's safety.  Joy nodded as she and Ash looked around for the others.  Ash called out, but nobody answered.

"Totodile," Ash released his Pokèmon, "Find Misty!  Hurry!"  Then he got a surprise.  Over the moaning winds, Ash could just pick up Joy saying, "Blissey, use Flash!" before her Pokèmon lit with a steady, warm, gentle light.

As one, Ash, Totodile, and Joy took deep breaths and dove beneath the rolling waves.  Ash thought he caught a glimpse of red disappearing into the depths just at the edge of Blissey's Flash.  He redoubled his pace, but Totodile was a lot faster.  The little reptile raced forward and caught Misty's back by her suspenders.

Determinedly, Totodile began hauling her up as Ash met them halfway.  Between the two, their unconscious burden was hauled topside quickly.

Ash was relieved that not only had Joy found Brock in the meanwhile, but Pikachu was also clinging to the living life preserver that was Blissey.  Heck, Pikachu even had Ash's hat.

Putting an arm firmly around Misty's waist and keeping her head braced against his shoulder (and thus above water), Ash found sure purchase in the edge of Blissey's egg pouch.  Larvitar held onto Ash's hand, securing his grip, as Totodile began steering the group toward shore.

As Blissey turned out her light and clung to Ash and her mistress, Joy put her back against Blissey and started kicking into the waves even as she kept supporting Brock.  Tired as he was, Ash joined in too.  Together the motley group rode the swells toward safety.

They lucked out.  The wind shifted direction and joined the waves in pushing them to the beach with a fair amount of speed.  Ash tried to gently scoop Misty into both arms but found her superior height hard to handle out of the water.  He had to settle for dragging her feet more or less up the beach and away from the surf.  As he laid her down softly, Pikachu and Totodile pulled the equally-unconscious Togepi from Misty's backpack. 

Ash turned to Joy for help.  With her hat gone and her undone hairdo spilling over her face and shoulders to cover both their heads, Ash had trouble seeing what Joy was doing for a second as she leaned over Brock.  He realized she was giving Brock mouth-to-mouth resuscitation…something Brock would be very pleased about if he was conscious.

As she paused to pump Brock's chest, Joy glanced up to bark, "Go ahead, Ash.  Do it!  Save her!"  Near his feet, Totodile happily began doing the same to Togepi.  Of course, he supposed most any Water-Type would know how to do such a thing.

Too bad he didn't.

Ash stared at Misty's cold and lifeless face for a few horrible seconds.  She almost looked like she was sleeping.  Almost.  His gaze traveled down, focusing on her lips; gently parted but refusing to breathe.  He…he **had** to, but if he messed it up, she could be hurt even worse…

Instead Ash found himself knocked aside by Blissey, who quickly began resuscitating the girl.  Larvitar squeezed out of Blissey's pouch to join Pikachu at Ash's side, staring helplessly.  Pikachu handed Ash his hat.

The boy took it absently and held it in a crushing grip; his eyes never left Misty.  Behind them, he could hear Brock and Togepi gurgling up a response to their ministrations.  But Misty still laid quiet and still.

Unaware he was speaking aloud, Ash moaned, "No, it can't be…not her…not Misty…please, no…"   Unable to bear any more, he closed his eyes and threw his head back to the rainy skies with a desperate mental plea for someone, _anyone_, who might be somehow listening to save the most important girl in the universe.

Joy appeared at Ash's elbow.  "Try Softboiled," she commanded Blissey, "Her lungs must be clear now."  A gentle wave of pink energy flowed from the Normal-Type creature, caressing Misty head to foot.

To Ash's eternal relief, that did the trick; whatever wound had kept Misty unconscious was healed.  She sat up and choked on a last bit of the lake in a fashion that Ash found pretty endearing right that moment.

Ash sank to one knee beside her.  "Misty," his eyes shone and it had nothing to do with the continuing rain, "Relax, you're OK.  We're here, we're all here, it's all right."

Her own eyes were large and relieved, but confused.  "Ash," she said weakly, "It heard you…and its coming to help…"

Ash drew back a little.  "Who?  What do you mean, Misty?"

The look on her face said she wasn't quite sure herself, but her insecurity only lasted another second.

A small rip opened in the storm-tossed skies.  For a second, the shifting waves of colors thus released boiled and roiled; but then they closed just after spitting out a small black shape.  A single Unown; this one loosely shaped like the lowercase letter "g".

Brock observed, hand on chin, "Could it be?  The same one from the other day?"

The first thing the Psychic-Type did was float down to Misty, running a one-eyed gaze over her studiously as Ash helped her to her feet.  The creature's eye turned up in a smiley fashion at her safety.  The Unown reached out with its telepathic senses, reminding the group of how they had safely nursed it through a bad sickness before.  It had come, they realized, to return the favor at hearing Ash's heart-rending distress.  Even though it wasn't necessary after all.

Suddenly Ash and Misty alike realized he was still supporting her, one hand on the small of her back.  They pulled away from each other abruptly.  Ash stuffed his hat back on and a little low over his eyes.  Misty seemed to regret her actions immediately.  "Ash," she whispered, "You called the Unown for me…I…"

"It was Blissey," he returned just as quietly, "who saved you.  I couldn't do it.  I failed."

"Oh, Ash…"

Their thoughts were chased away by Godzilla's keening roar.

As one, every pair of eyes turned out over Silver Town's rain-soaked skyline.  On the far edge of town, Godzilla loomed over the buildings.  **Really over the buildings.**

The Pokèmon had evolved once more.  His build was still lean, but his height had doubled to sixty feet.  The single row of spikes had given way to triple rows of mismatched, multiedged blades with the center line far larger than those on its flanks.  And by the furious light blazing in his eyes as he gazed over man's structures, his rage had only grown as well.

With a snarl curling his lips, Godzilla plowed into the first set of buildings he could reach.  Police and firefighting sirens added to the growing din of a panicked and confused citizenry around the trainers as Godzilla began destroying Silver Town.  Ash had thought the monster angry during their initial confrontation in the forest; now he was seeing the true depths of Godzilla's fury.  The King of the Monsters would not rest until everything before him was laid to utter waste.

But this sight only fueled Ash's own fire.  Raising a fist, he yelled, "Stop it!  What are you doing!?"  Of course, Godzilla was much too far away to hear even if he could possibly care what Ash thought.

Misty said firmly, "Ash, who cares?  Godzilla's got to be stopped, whatever his feelings are, before he wrecks the whole town!"

"His feelings," Ash said with a sudden flash of thoughtful insight, "What's wrong with this guy?!  Why does he hate everybody and everything **so** much!?"

It was a strange thought, but a valid one.  Misty turned to Ash as everyone else did.  She reflected it had been one of the things that had attracted her to follow Ash on his Pokèmon journey to start with.  The depth of his caring for others (when he dared show it, at least).  And he always seemed to find the heart of a matter, somehow.

Softly, she reached out to his shoulder, murmuring, "Ash, don't beat yourself up over this.  We'll find a way to stop him, together."

The assembled trainers and Pokèmon found their gaze on the Unown as it floated softly in front of them all.  It looked askance at Ash, a bit of curiosity in its eye.  Then it closed the orb, softly chanting, _"Unown…Unown…"_

For a split second Ash felt a strong rush like he'd been sent blasting off head-first again.  Then he looked around; Misty, Joy, and Brock looked back at him, quite whole and hearty.  Totodile was there too, alongside Pikachu and Blissey; but Ash couldn't help noticing Togepi and Larvitar hadn't appeared.  He forgot to wonder why as he began staring at Pikachu curiously.

Ash gazed down at Pikachu; the Electric-Type was softly glowing and semi-transparent.  Like a Ghost-Type shielding itself from view partially.  When Pikachu cried, _"Pika!  Pika!" and pointed, Ash realized he was looking very much the same.  "Whoa," he said and his voice echoed unnaturally, "It's like we're here and we're not at the same time."_

"Yeah," Misty agreed in her own altered voice, "But where is here, anyway?"

Everyone gazed about themselves in wonder at a world somehow familiar and somehow alien.  The buildings, the plants, the streets; all were of a comfortingly similar look and feel to their own world.  But this place looked, somehow, more…**real than their own reality.  Things were much more detailed and complex; colors were far more myriad and shaded.**

Strangely enough, if Ash had to guess, he'd even dare say they were in an airport parking lot in the middle of the night.

But even considering the time, the buildings and their nearby streets were empty of life.

"Look there," Brock cried out, "It's him!!"

They whirled and gasped.  Far off in the distance, Godzilla was laying on his side in the shattered rubble of an airport terminal even larger than he was.  He looked different; not just because he was a full-fledged part of this world, but radically different.

His skin was dark grey instead of green.  His back sported only a single row of stubby plates even smaller than the spikes he'd had during his second evolution in Ash's world.  Yet he was twice the size his third evolution had granted him in Ash's world.

But none of this could disguise the fact that Godzilla was dying.  His lifeblood was seeping steadily out of great wounds in the beast's neck and chest; his eyes were closed as his breath rattled through him slowly and painfully.

Joy and Blissey, in spite of everything he had done, began to run forward.  Just as ghostly as they, the Unown appeared before them, shaking itself slowly.  "But…but!"  Joy stammered, her own impulses warring in her expression.

Brock passed a hand through a nearby car harmlessly before saying pragmatically, "We're being shown Godzilla's memories, I think.  We can't interfere with what happened back then even if we want to."  Joy nodded but was unable to take her eyes off the creature, her hands clutched futilely before her chest.

Then a thunderous roar - Godzilla's - came from _behind_ them.

They whirled anew; only to see another creature at an even greater distance that the slowly perishing monster.

This one was much, much, **much** larger than the other.  His dark grey body rippled with thick, stocky muscle culminating in a bull-like neck supporting a tiny head.  His triple back plates were more uniform in size and shaped like maple leaves.  And his double rows of teeth, set in a permanently visible grimace, shone in the night like daggers as he roared again.  Nevertheless, between his voice and his looks…

Misty moaned, "It…it must be…Godzilla's father!"

But for all his awesome size and strength, it was also plain there was something very wrong with the parent creature too.  His heart, glowing red as fiercely as the sun, was visible through his barrel chest.  Veins of superheated blood glowed across his body; his back plates and eyes alike shimmered with hellish internal fire too.  Several wounds, especially a prominent one crossing his shoulder, were actually gushing steam.  The parent howled again and fought his own pain-racked body as he tried to cross the land to his son.

And then a huge military vehicle, little more than a set of wheels supporting a cannon, blazed through the parking lot the trainers were standing in.  A human soldier riding high out of a topside hatch caught Ash's attention as the mobile weapon passed through their ghostly group.

Ash couldn't help but stare.  The people of this world had such tiny eyes and mouths compared to Ash and his friends.  The twist to familiar human features frightened Ash more than Godzilla's visage any day.

But that cannon had been only one small part of a vast horde of military vehicles that appeared from nowhere.  Mostly by land they came; but the leader of the assault was a oddly box-shaped aircraft with stubby wings.

Dozens of these strange and fanciful machines' weapons reached out with cold blue beams of light to blast the parent Godzilla to a standstill.  Mercilessly, the barrage continued; and the monster could only rage helplessly.

The parent's roar of offense was reflected in Misty's cry of, "No!  Let him go!  He only wants to help his son!"

The military stopped their bombardment as if they had heard her.  Or, more likely, they had already done all they could.  For an instant, time seemed frozen.

Pointing, Brock fought a rising tide of bile as he said, "Look!  He's…he's…_melting_!"

It started with the back plates.  They dribbled away like candle wax under their own heat and pressure.  Quickly the infection spread and the very flesh started melting off the trapped parent's bones.  He threw his head back, trying to howl out one last cry of angry defiance.  It died in his throat; a mere gurgle as the creature was reduced to a skeleton.  His bones didn't have time to fall over as they disintegrated too.  Within seconds, the parent was reduced to a brightly glowing blob of matter burning into the ground as it continued to consume itself.

Waves of bright light flowed from the spot, washing over everything for miles.  Despite his ghostly presence there, Ash felt an unusual prickling sensation when the light passed by.  More than mere light, he suspected.

It was a suspicion confirmed by the noise behind him.  The group turned to see Godzilla's wounds healing as the radiation washed over him.  Not just healing; he was growing and changing.  Evolving.  To a form similar to the one he was wearing even as he laid waste to Silver Town in reality, albeit here the monster was nearly as large as his father.

But as he changed, Godzilla's eyes stared only at the fading light of his parent's disappearance.

Godzilla turned his gaze to the human army spread around him.  Still unaware of his presence, they watched where the elder had been for any sign of life.  For a split second, Ash could see a reflection of the beams that had felled his father in Godzilla's eyes.  And then the newly christened King of the Monsters roared a roar of the purest hatred as he rushed into battle.

The military turned their weapons on Godzilla.  But this time, it was worthless; although if the weakness stemmed from Godzilla's sheer rage or his increased power, Ash wasn't sure.

He found himself gripping Misty's shoulders and turning both their backs firmly to the carnage, silent tears flowing down his cheeks.  Her sobs were drowned out by the explosions behind them accompanying Godzilla's furious cries.

With another rush, Ash found himself dumped back into his body.  His friends started around him, readjusting to their surroundings as well.  For a moment, the only thing Ash could think to do was Recall Totodile as he wiped his cheeks clean with his sleeve.  Misty scooped up Togepi and hugged him close.  The baby didn't need to know what caused his mistress' distress; he only had to cuddle up at her touch and coo softly for her.

_"Larvitar?" came a soft call from Ash's ankle.  He tried to smile confidently down at the little Pokèmon and found he couldn't fake it at the moment.  "I'm okay, Larvitar, everything's gonna be all right," Ash reassured; even though he had no idea how he was actually going to pull it off._

Brock had managed to maintain his usual stiff upper lip, but just barely.  His eye slits sparkled as he looked over Silver Town.  "Look," he observed, "It's happening all over again."  His jaw worked furiously as Brock kept tight hold of himself.

Unlike that other place, Silver Town didn't even have a military to offer a token defense.  Godzilla was smashing through, leaving flaming rubble in his wake.  The continuing storm was softening up the blazes somewhat, but rain-slick roads were also fouling hurrying fire trucks and police cruisers alike.  Not to mention the populace attempting to escape.

It wasn't just the people, of course.  Wild Pokèmon of all shapes and sizes fled their adoptive urban home and the surrounding forest alike as Godzilla raged.  Sometimes Ash could pick out an attack from some unseen trained Pokèmon at its master's bidding; but each time Godzilla lashed out and there was no more resistance from that quarter.

"We've gotta stop him without hurting him," Ash vowed.  Yet there wasn't much of his usual confidence in his gaze as Misty turned to him, nodding her agreement.  His furrowed brow and tight jaw meant Ash was still puzzling it out even as he faced the Unown in turn.  "We've got to do what we were meant to do…if you'll help us," he realized.

Ash's gaze was steady as he spelled out his thoughts aloud.  "You brought Godzilla to this dimension because if he'd stayed where he was, either him or humanity would have to go, isn't it?"  The Unown looked sadly at its single foot.

Ash continued, "The people of that world don't get along with their Pokèmon like we do.  They attacked Godzilla and his father.  You were hoping that somebody - **us - could teach him to live in harmony with everyone.  Then maybe you'd send him back.  Maybe not.  But he'd be all the better for it and both worlds would be safe, either way."**

The Unown perked up, looking happy that Ash's instincts had puzzled it out.

Finally Ash's resolve broke down as the terrible realization of his next words hit home to him.  "But I screwed it up.  I didn't catch him in a Pokèball right when he got here like I should've.  Now that he's evolved, now that we've fought him every step of the way, it's just like it was before for Godzilla.  And there's no way I'll catch him now.  He's just too big and strong."

Misty smiled softly with half-hard, half-soft memories.  "You always stuck up for Charizard," she recalled, "Even when he lost the Kanto League Championship for you on purpose."  Gently, she laid a hand on Ash's shoulder.  He didn't dare meet her eyes; he knew he'd find a warm gaze he didn't feel he deserved looking back.

"And look," she finished, "how much he loves you now.  You can do anything, Ash.  I really believe you can."

His smile was wane, but inside he felt a little rush of joy at her words.  "Not this time, I can't."  Ash grasped his empty Pokèball, raising it to the Unown's gaze.  "You've got to help me fix things," he said, "I'm sorry I messed up, but I can't make it right without you.  Please, please say you'll help me."

But despite Ash's soulful plea, the Unown turned away.  The sky rip opened once more and the small Pokèmon floated up towards it.  "Wait!" Ash cried, "Give me another chance!"

Misty joined in, "If you just take Godzilla back, it won't help anybody!  He'll still be angry and nothing will change!"

"We can change him, together!  I know we can!" Brock added.

The Unown paused.  Then, with a flick of its single limb, it disappeared into the rift.  With a sparkle, the window to the Unown's dimension closed behind it.

The teens felt like the whole world had dropped out from under them when that last desperate hope vanished unceremoniously.  Behind them, Joy coughed politely.

"Hurry and escape while you can," she said when the trio turned to her, "Someone's got to warn the outside world.  Don't argue this time; just do it.  I've got work to do."  With Blissey, as always, at her side, Joy trotted off to bring some order - not to mention a healing touch - to the chaos.

The three friends had no choice but to let her go.  For a moment, Ash wondered if he should go back up Mt. Silver and try to find Larvitar's mother as he scooped the baby Pokèmon into his backpack once more.  At least then Larvitar would be safe and he'd have done _something_ right recently.

But considering the blows the mountain had taken in the earlier battles, he realized Larvitar's mother had probably scattered with other wild Pokèmon refugees.  For now, staying with Ash was best for the baby creature.

With heads bowed and hopeless dread weighing down their hearts and feet alike, the three friends turned their backs to the carnage.  Slowly they began shuffling around the lake's beach toward the untouched side of Silver Town.

The dark, raging storm still wasn't half as bleak as their empty hearts.  With every crash, every roar, every scream from behind him, Ash winced.  He wished the rain would just wash him away; right out of existence, so he wouldn't have to live with simply walking away.

As Misty suspected, he couldn't.  Ash turned back around, raising his fist.  Brock was quick to intercede, catching Ash's mitt in his own.  "Sometimes," he said glumly, "You have to know when to quit, Ash.  No matter how hard it hurts."

Ash pulled free, responding, "Maybe.  But not when it's other people and Pokèmon paying the price for my mistakes, Brock.  We can't fight Godzilla, but we can be like Nurse Joy and try to help anybody he leaves behind."

Actually, Misty and Brock alike brightened at that idea.  Pikachu gave the notion a V-for-Victory sign and a cheer.  With a lot more spring in their steps, the group turned back and ran up the boardwalk and onto the streets.

Pikachu's sharper ears made him the first to turn and gaze at the lake, yelping, _"Chu?"  By the time Ash turned to ask what was wrong, he could hear it too.  And once Misty and Brock looked as well, the lake's surface was churning and bubbling as something very large began surfacing from the depths._

With a burst of spray, an enormous mechanical Rhydon lurched from the waves and onto the beach.  In place of eyes, the robot Pokèmon had a trio of tinted windows spread across its forehead.  Even without the rain sweeping across his vision, Ash would've had a hard time seeing who was at the controls…but he didn't have to wonder for very long.

As water drained down the metallic flanks, a megaphone popped out of a panel on one cheek to broadcast a burst of nasty, ringing laughter.

"To protect the world from Godzilla's devastation!"

"So we can keep stealing Pokèmon across the nation!"

"To capture this beast for our Boss that we love!"

"So Team Rocket's power can reach the stars above!"

The robot had true feet, but pairs of tank-style treads popped out from steel soles in a roller skate fashion.  With a blast of mud and displaced water, the treads bit into the lake's bottom and propelled the mechanical marvel forward.  Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu hurried out of its way as the faux Rhydon rolled through the boardwalk and onto where they'd been standing.  Even as they dodged, Team Rocket's sing-song motto kept ringing across Silver Town.

"Jesse!"

"James!"

"Our future with Team Rocket's looking bright!"

"If we capture Godzilla, the Boss will love us, alright!"

_"Meowth!  Dat's right!…Hah!  Wobbuffet ain't here!  I gets da last woid!"_

Jesse continued, "Forward, MechaRhydon!  Let Godzilla feel my wrath!  Ah-ha-ha-ha!!!"

With a flick of her finger, Jesse hit the switch to retract the megaphone now that its all-important duty was done.  She winced at the movement; her arm was bandaged but still very sore.  That reminder of what she owed Godzilla turned up her ruby red lips in a evil grin.  It was payback time.

Her crew turned to look up from their twin consoles at her higher position behind and between them with an odd glance.  _"MechaRhydon?!" Meowth smirked._

"Now, now, Jesse," James said condescendingly, "We've used this particular contraption before.  Out in the Orange Islands, remember?  You know perfectly well it's called a Robo-Rhydon."

"I don't care!" she set a vein in her temple throbbing, "I'm in charge and I can name it whatever I want!  Besides…"  For a instant, Jesse looked strangely wistful as she caressed the controls before her.  She finished, "I don't know…for some reason, 'Mecha' just sounds so _right_ today instead."

Realizing her teammates were now wondering if she'd lost a few marbles in that last blast off, Jesse moved to restore the chain of command.  "I said let's go!  Weapons at the ready!"  She glowered down at her teammates each in turn before a movement outside brought her gaze to the viewports.  Throwing her arms across her face, Jesse cried, "Wait!  We're not ready yet!"

James and Meowth didn't have time to emulate her as Godzilla crashed against MechaRhydon.  For an instant, the robot's feet lifted up as MechaRhydon rocked backwards onto its short, thick tail.  It turned sideways a little before both feet slammed back down, sending chunks of pavement flying in a near miss for Ash and company.

Godzilla bit down on the machine's neck and gave it a small tug.  His face twisted with surprise at what he was tasting.  Quickly giving up on that approach, Godzilla roared and used Slash with his foreclaws.

Team Rocket's hands were flying across their controls as they tried to mount a counterattack.  MechaRhydon's own arms curled up into defensive positions, protecting his chest and neck like a boxer might.  Godzilla's claws were deflected harmlessly off the metal, drawing only a few loud clanging noises.

Inside the cockpit, Jesse barked, "Keep this thing on its feet!  I'll handle all the attacks myself!"  So saying, she threw another switch and jabbed fiercely at a button.  Even though she wasn't commanding a real Pokèmon in battle, Jesse found herself reflexively announcing, "Mega Punch, now!"

MechaRhydon's right fist came around into Godzilla's ribcage in a fierce jab.  The wind knocked out of him for a second, Godzilla flinched.  "Perfect!" Jesse roared, "Since you liked that one so much, here's another!"  This time, the blow was an uppercut straight to Godzilla's chin.  The monster backpedaled, holding his head and trying to gather his wits.

Unnoticed, the cockpit's double elevator door snapped open behind the trio.  Ash, Misty, and Brock peeked out.  Pikachu was stuck behind his friends' legs and couldn't see at all, eliciting a quiet but irritated, _"Pika!" from him.  Misty whispered, "Good thing they left that elevator door in the tail unlocked."_

"Yeah," Ash agreed just as quietly, "We can't trust Team Rocket to get something done right."

Meowth was satisfied with MechaRhydon's current stability enough to quip, _"C'mon, Jesse, quit foolin' around!  Just use dat Master Ball da Boss gave us an' catch dis ting awready!"_

His teammate sneered, "That's why you're a Pokèmon and not a Pokèmon trainer, Meowth.  Don't you know yet that a trainer has to weaken a Pokèmon in battle before a Pokèball will work?  Ha, try a Horn Drill on for size!"  The last was directed more at her opponent than Meowth, and a touch to Jesse's controls sent MechaRhydon into motion to accompany it.

The faux Pokèmon leaned forward on its haunches, its single horn and its twin sets of treads alike spinning furiously.  MechaRhydon roared forward with surprising speed.  Godzilla got his equilibrium back just in time to see the attack coming but not dodge it.  The Horn Drill bit into his neck and shoulder, sending the monster tumbling and rolling through a city block.  Jesse kept MechaRhydon hot on his heels, plowing through and completing the decimation of the few edifices Godzilla had missed.

As Misty and her friends struggled to stay upright against the smooth elevator's walls, she whispered, "Master Ball?  Do you think that will work?" to Brock.

In turn, Brock put a thoughtful hand to his chin.  "We should swipe Godzilla when they catch him.  That would solve all our problems."

Misty groaned, "If they catch it."

Shaking his head slowly, Ash admitted, "I don't like doing what Team Rocket always tries to do.  Steal Pokèmon, I mean."

Misty was frowning hard over that thought too.

Brock shrugged, "We can't let their Boss have Godzilla, now can we?"  His friends grumbled reluctant agreement.

The quartet turned their attention back to the cockpit proper.  Over Jesse and James' shoulders, they could see Godzilla take another Mega Punch.  The monster's earlier Horn Drill wound was still bleeding and it looked like Team Rocket had things well in hand for once.

"But Jesse," James half-turned to remind her, "The Boss said that newfangled Master Ball would catch any Pokèmon, at any level, **without** battling at all!  Weren't you paying attention when he debriefed us?!"

In the elevator, the stowaways ducked back around the doorjamb.  The elevator had stayed in one place too long; the doors automatically shut on them once more.

Jesse whipped a large mallet out of a drawer in her console and held it menacingly near James' face, charging, "Godzilla tasks me.  And I shall have him!  You, too, if you don't get with the program!"  James turned back to his controls with a placating whimper.

_"Guys!" Meowth shrieked, __"Watch out!!"_

Regaining his feet and his wits simultaneously, Godzilla crashed into MechaRhydon once more.  This time the monster caught the machine in a bear hug as a precursor to a Flame Wheel.  Within seconds, MechaRhydon's internal temperature gauges were shooting up into the red zones.

Strapped into their seats, Team Rocket found no relief from the heat as they jumped and squirmed and yelled.  But at least her leather gloves gave Jesse some protection as she tabbed a couple buttons.

The first opened MechaRhydon's mouth, AKA the weapons bay, to the outside world.  The second turned on the intercom from the cockpit to the bay so her Pokèmon could hear Jesse bellow, "Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat, hurry!"

_"Wobbuffet!" saluted the Pokèmon even though her mistress couldn't see her at present.  To the strange Psychic-Type's surprise, Wobbuffet found Godzilla's unwounded shoulder pressed right up against MechaRhydon's lower jaw.  The King of the Monsters had paused in his blistering barrage and was trying to push MechaRhydon off its treads._

Gingerly, Wobbuffet leaned forward against the jaw's guardrail to sniff Godzilla and satisfy her curiosity.  Quickly she held her paw-hand across where her nose should've been visible on her face.  _"Wobba-wobba!"_ and her eyes swirled a little.

_"Weezing-wheez!" reminded her purple Pokèmon comrade as he floated nearby, awaiting a time he might be needed too.  Weezing's warning came just in time; Godzilla sprouted another Flame Wheel from his skin as MechaRhydon kept rocking back and forth.  As the flame's path traced swiftly upwards, Wobbuffet stood tall and proud.  A red halo surrounded her; at its touch, the Flame Wheel was absorbed harmlessly._

But only for an instant.  _"WOBBU-UFFETTTTT!!" and a bright red beam - Flame Wheel with twice its normal punch - blasted out of her blue blobby body and into Godzilla point-blank._

The monster's clench was broken as Godzilla flew backwards off his feet.  Godzilla skidded, flat on his back, into another set of buildings that promptly crumbled down on top of him.  Flailing and roaring, Godzilla fought to free himself of the debris for another attack.

Wobbuffet was leaning on Weezing for support and sweating hard.  Yet her little black tail was still standing straight up with pride.  _"Weeze…" said her friend, impressed.  _"Wobba,"_ she thanked, and wished for all the world that Jesse would make a similar compliment.  Just once.  Cold and silent, the intercom sat on the wall mockingly._

Apparently, Jesse was far too busy gloating as Godzilla tried to regain his feet.  She threw her head back in a haughty laugh, "Mess with me, will you?  Huh?  Huh?"  Jabbing her pointing finger out the viewport to punctuate her gloating, Jesse realized her friends were watching her with wide eyes.

Out of the corner of his mouth, James half-whispered to Meowth, "The look on her face reminds you of that time a Scyther cut her hair off, doesn't it?"

_"I said it before, n' I'll say it again: Tings get messy when yas fool with Jesse," Meowth admitted._

She sobered up, waving a hand reassuringly.  "Okay, okay," she added, "I feel better now.  Let's do it!"  Jesse pumped a fist in the air, joined by James and Meowth as the latter turned back to their controls.  The trio chorused, "For Team Rocket!  For the Boss!  For all the moolah we'll make!"

In the weapons bay, the intercom crackled to life.  Wobbuffet looked up at the sound hopefully.  Jesse barked, "Move it or lose it!  Master Ball Launcher, deploy!"

Weezing and Wobbuffet alike scuttled away from a floor panel that snapped open where a living Rhydon's throat would be, lest they fall in.  Swiftly, the large compressed air cannon rose through the tunnel thus revealed and into position.

To the astonishment of both Pokèmon, the complete set of twerps were hanging off the launcher and grinning sheepishly as they rode it into the bay.  Realizing Wobbuffet was looking right at the butter knife he was using to try and pry the Master Ball itself free, Ash quickly pulled the offensive camping aid behind his back.  "Uhh, hey," Ash added, "Fancy meeting you two here."

"Great robot you've got here," Misty gave her very best friendly smile from her perch near the device's air hoses, "Would you two nice, sweet, cute Pokèmon mind if we borrow this little Master Ball for a minute?"

_"Wobbufett!" Wobbuffet thanked her happily for the compliment.  Then, with an equally pleasant singsong to herself, Wobbuffet calmly toddled over and hit the release for the Master Ball.  She presented it proudly to Misty with a salute._

Her mouth was hanging open, but Misty managed to say, "Thanks.  Thank you very much, Wobbuffet," as she quietly reached for the ball.

Weezing smacked down on her from above in a Tackle Attack.  "Yeowch!" she hollered and dropped the Master Ball as Weezing bounced repeatedly against the back of her head, chanting, _"Weeze!" with each bounce.  Although whether the Poison-Type was yelling at Misty or Wobbuffet was unclear since he had two sets of eyes and was staring hard at each.  Maybe both._

Up top, Jesse was watching the blinking indicator on her board with growing frustration.  "What do you mean," she growled at her console, "It's jammed?  Can't you do anything right, James?"

"I didn't load the launcher!" James was quick to point out, "Meowth did!  The Boss didn't trust either of us with the Master Ball, now did he?"

_"Yeah, well, maybe yer hittin' da wrong buttons, Jesse!" Meowth challenged fiercely._

Looking like she might start spitting a Flamethrower herself, Jesse hit the intercom.  "Wobbuffet!  Clean out that launcher and get it going!"  James broke in, "You too, Weezing!"  Then they clicked off, unheedful of the strange cries coming back over their end of the connection.

As MechaRhydon rumbled into motion again around them, Wobbuffet retrieved the Master Ball.  Ash knew it would be too dangerous to sic Pikachu on Wobbuffet; he didn't want anything Countered damaging the Master Ball.

So he leapt at Wobbuffet himself.  That was a mistake; one white halo and a firm _"Wobba!"_ later and Ash flew right back where he'd came.

Brock and Pikachu quickly backed Ash up in his impromptu wrestling match.  Weezing, who had been firmly pinning Misty down on her belly, released her to join the fray even though he didn't have any limbs to wrestle with.  _"Weez-ing!" he bellowed out of his small mouth; the big one he used to plant a bite right on Brock's butt._

"Yeow!  Quit it!  That's fighting dirty!" he claimed, although it wasn't strong enough to really be called a Bite Attack.

Behind Weezing, Misty popped up with blood in her eye.  "C'mere!" she snapped as she launched herself bodily into battle.

Thus it was the entire group, badly intertwined, that rolled perilously around the open-air weapons bay in a rather nasty little free-for-all.  Especially since Misty, in her anger, wasn't watching where she was aiming.  Ash tried to complain when Misty accidentally kicked him for the fourth time, but Wobbuffet happened to stick her fist in his mouth just then.  For a blobby thing, Wobbuffet was surprisingly sturdy when push came to shove…or to punch.

Yet the attention of everyone in the bay was attracted by a bright purple flash shining through the downpour outside.  Still gripping each other in various pretzel shapes, the group watched Godzilla finish pulling himself free of the city block's remains with morbid fascination.

Unnoticed by all, Ash took advantage of the opportunity to stuff the unattended Master Ball in his jacket pocket.

With Recover having healed his wounds once more, Godzilla was back in action.  The rain consumed his back jets' blaze, turning it into a huge cloud of hissing white-hot steam, as Godzilla gathered his power for another beam strike.

Remembering Godzilla's previous Flamethrower attack just before the monster knocked them into the lake, Ash mused, "Won't the rain just wash it away again?  It's not a close-range attack like Flame Wheel."

Before his friends could reply, Ash got his answer.  It wasn't a Flamethrower that spewed forth.  It was a full-fledged Fire Blast that unfolded from Godzilla's maw.  The fiery symbol, as tall as Godzilla himself, sizzled and hissed in the rain like a snarling demon as it blasted through Silver Town's structures.  Shockwaves of heated air proceeded, accompanied, and even rippled out behind the Fire Blast as it blazed a trail to MechaRhydon.

"Wobbuffet!  Mirror Coat!!" rang out from the intercom.

But Wobbuffet was no fool.  The enormous attack was just plain out of her league.  As she and her fellow wrestlers pulled themselves apart, Wobbuffet leapt to a nearby control panel.  She hit the manual door lever instead; MechaRhydon shut its trap with a clang to offer what protection it could.

Unaware of this, Jesse didn't bother trying to make the machine dodge.  Godzilla's attack burrowed into MechaRhydon's face and chest.  Part of the chest section caved in as the snout buckled and twisted.  The Horn Drill nearly popped from its moorings.  Ironically, MechaRhydon's mouth now looked like the robot was biting its lower lip enthusiastically.  Only some time in the repair shop would allow MechaRhydon to open its weapons bay again.

But most of all, the supposedly shatterproof viewports did indeed shatter into hot but round-edged fragments that showered onto the command crew.

Jesse shrieked; a few bits of window had lodged in her hair.  Fueled by both her hairspray and her purple dye, Jesse's head was set ablaze instantly.  James whipped a fire extinguisher from his console and set about putting his lady love out.

She sputtered and spit out some foam before clutching a few wayward strands of hair before her eyes.  "Nooo!"  she moaned, "No, it can't be, not my hair **and my face in one day!  This can't be happening to me!"**

Meowth ignored Jesse's Magmar impression from the start to struggle with the robot's now-sluggish leg controls.  _"Jeeze," the scratch cat muttered to himself, _"Too bad we's can't use Recover too…but dis **is** just a robot."__

Outside, Godzilla was well pleased with the way MechaRhydon's arms were hanging uselessly as the robot swayed side-to-side on its treads.  The Fire Blast assault had left MechaRhydon sparking and sizzling as rain poured into its systems through buckled plating.  The Horn Drill was spinning as James tried using it anyway; but the weapon was going slowly and smoke roared from its base as the motors burned themselves up.

Back inside the weapons bay, everybody was pulling themselves free of the twisted chamber's wreckage painfully.  Only MechaRhydon's thick insulation had saved the group from being boiled alive within the metallic confines.  Ash groaned, "So that's what my microwave meals go through."  As it was, the air was still so hot that it hurt to breathe any of it.

Almost everybody was pulling themselves free, that is.  There are some advantages to always floating around to start with.  Weezing had easily dodged the chamber's destruction.  The very air he used to float in, however, was not so easy to avoid.

Misty turned to Weezing at the unusual noise he was making.  "Look out!" she pointed forcefully at Weezing in horror, "He's gonna blow!"

*********

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball.  This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Toho Eiga Inc., GameFreak, The Pokèmon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Sega Enterprises Ltd., etc.


	5. Chapter 4: Final Conflict

**Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball**

**E-Mail: Bdrodman@aol.com**

Weezing's eyes and cheeks were bulging as the hot air trapped in the bay continued working on him.  Puffs of steam were coming from his strange, tubular bodily orifices as Weezing's primarily liquid innards sizzled akin to a pot of water on the stove.  It didn't help that MechaRhydon was rocking and rolling around them; Godzilla had renewed their wrestling match.

Brock cried, "He's gonna use Explosion whether he wants to or not!  Let's go, guys!"  But a glance showed the regular door had been twisted into uselessness in the assault.  The remains of the Pokèball launcher clogged the floor hatch they'd used before; no escape that way.

Inspiration hit Misty akin to Pikachu's Thunderbolt out of the blue.  She gripped Wobbuffet and pushed her before Weezing.  "Get behind us," she commanded her friends, then turned to the beleaguered Pokèmon.  "Go ahead, Weezing," Misty finished, "Save yourself!  Use Explosion!"

For an instant, Weezing looked touched that Misty would care what happened to him after all the battles they'd had in the past (not to mention that little incident a few moments ago).  Then he could hold himself back no longer; it was a comparatively controlled Explosion he could come back from or he'd just plain rip asunder.  Weezing lit up with an eerie screeching sound.

As everybody expected, Misty quickly added, "Wobbuffet, Counter, now!"

The bizarre blob was in no mood to disobey orders that didn't come from Jesse.  Weezing released the excess pressure in an Explosion of incredible force; magnified all the more by reflecting around the narrow weapons bay.  But as the water trainer had hoped, Wobbuffet absorbed the brunt of the impact in a bright white halo.

_"Wobba!!" she cried, looking around frantically for a place to safely send the energy before she overloaded too._

"Here, Wobbuffet!" Ash pointed to the remains of the Pokèball launcher.  It was trashed already anyway.  "Fire, now!"

Wobbuffet cut loose her load.  The blast was far bigger than anybody expected.  Wobbuffet was knocked off her four pseudopodial feet and into the deflating Weezing, shooting both Pokèmon back into MechaRhydon's gullet.

They proved the lucky ones; the entire lower jaw separated from the head and flew outwards.  Clutching at exposed wires and twisted metal for purchase, the trainers found themselves riding MechaRhydon's jaw through open air like a bobsled.  The jaw smashed into the base of Godzilla's neck.

Thus the monster's air supply got cut off for a second.  Godzilla toppled forward, his vision clouding and his ears ringing, as he reflexively sucked in another massive breath to replace the one he'd lost.  Her damaged controls turned Jesse's next Mega Punch into a gentle embrace instead.  For the moment, MechaRhydon and Godzilla were holding each other like two punch-drunk fighters trying to stay up for the final round.

None of which mattered right that second to Ash and his friends as the jaw bounced right off Godzilla's thick hide.  For the first few seconds of free-fall, the jaw turned upside-down and trapped the group underneath itself.  Then it flipped over as the wind caught it a little; and all four friends' grips were torn loose.  Together they fell into the storm and upon what little mercy it had.

Pikachu somehow got a hold of Ash's jacket as they fell.  For his part, Ash was trying to swim through midair to Misty.  Her mouth and eyes were open in silent screaming horror as she clutched through the wind for him.  He responded in kind, reaching futilely for her through the rain that stole his scream and his tears alike.  Both never gave a thought to saving themselves without the other.

And then, for a second, Ash saw the strangest thing.  An Arcanine leapt inbetween them with Brock clutching desperately at her neck for purchase.  In a blink, they were gone…and Ash's breath was knocked out of him as his belly hit squarely onto another Arcanine's back when the Pokèmon caught him in mid-air.

No sooner did the Arcanine make his catch safely than the original Extreme Speed-powered leap set the fire dog down gently on a rooftop beside the one bearing Brock.  Another blink of the eye, and a third swept Misty safely down beside them.  A short bark of warning to their burdens and the Arcanine trio gave another Extreme Speed-powered leap that sent them soaring through the skies once more.

"Wow!" Ash cried, his fear long forgotten in the exhilaration of Arcanine's powerful grace.  Ash sat up and gripped the large creature's mane tight as his exuberant whoop echoed off the hard walls of Silver Town.

Safely still within MechaRhydon, Wobbuffet, smoking badly, had a definitely silly grin of enormous relief on her face to have passed the gas bag's generous attack on safely.  She collapsed against Weezing, who now resembled a silly little deflated balloon laying flat on the floor.  _"Weeze!  Weeze!  Weezing!" he complained as he struggled to pull himself together; but Wobbuffet only raised her arm in a shaky salute._

Godzilla got his wind back.  He backed up a half-step, snarling in through the open viewports right at the cowering Team Rocket.  For a moment Godzilla studied MechaRhydon's erstwhile controllers through the pounding rain.  He gave the robot a contemptuous little shove to see if they had any fighting spirit left in them.

Jesse tried hard to keep her mouth from moving as little as possible as she whispered, wide-eyed, "All hands, abandon ship.  Right **now**."

_"We's can't," Meowth returned just as stiffly, _"Dat fire insulation cost extra.  Somethin' had to go."__

His commander continued, "You mean, like the ejection seats?"

It was James who replied, "Bingo."

By the tone of her voice, James and Meowth were suddenly relieved that Jesse didn't dare move when she softly said, "Why does neither of you ever tell me these things before we pick a fight?  Hmm?"

Godzilla was unimpressed with their response.  Disdainfully, the monster turned his razor-sharp back to them as he walked away.  Seeing their chance, Team Rocket reached for the release on their seats' safety harnesses.

None of the harnesses budged.  Jesse tugged futilely at the strong material.  "What's wrong?!" she cried.

Meowth's sharper eyes studied his own rig critically.  _"Oh, I see.  Da clasps got all melted togedda." _

The statement made all three chorus in a panic, "Melted together!?!"

As Team Rocket struggled to free themselves high above, Ash and company didn't get a chance to dismount their Arcanine rescuers as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop.  The fire dogs were bounding more-or-less after Godzilla with a look on their faces that said they knew where they were going.  Ash wished he did.

But before he could ask, _"Pikaaa!!"_ came the cry of warning.  At Pikachu's frantic gestures, the trio looked out over the town.

Godzilla had put a short distance between himself and Team Rocket's towering ride.  MechaRhydon's chance to get back in the game had passed.  With a mighty roar, Godzilla stomped back and forth on his feet and shook his torso vehemently; tail swishing and looping behind him, in a challenge.  When the robot failed to react to this final taunt, Godzilla decided it was time to bring this affair to a close.

With a snarl of disgust curling his lips, Godzilla began powering up his Fire Blast.

Ash felt his mount tense under him for another leap that would bring them to safety.  There was no time to aim carefully; Ash pulled out and threw the Master Ball toward Godzilla with all his might as Arcanine pushed off the rooftop.

The storm's howling winds deflected his throw's arc; it fell toward Godzilla's feet.  He saw a small reflective glitter in the streetlights as the Master Ball landed harmlessly well short of its goal.  Those same winds snatched away Ash's cry of dismay.

The King of the Monsters fired his deathblow.

Behind, the Fire Blast tore down their last landing spot as it raced by.  Godzilla's attack struck home and MechaRhydon crumpled.  One of the robot's arms joined its drill in flying loose and raining yet more destruction upon the hapless Silver Town.  The force of the impact sent the once-mighty machine tumbling back into the lake from whence it came.

MechaRhydon disappeared swiftly beneath the waves.  Only a cloying slick of machine oil rode the bubbles back to the surface.

Ash and Pikachu found their Arcanine mounts regrouping at ground level.  The trainers slid off their saviors.  As Misty and Ash raced toward each other with open arms, it seemed their caution was thrown to the wind…until they actually neared each other.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Misty stopped and lowered her arm into a handshake even as she berated herself mentally.  _All this time, she hissed at herself, __All this time and you're finally getting somewhere, and now you chicken out?  But Ash was drawing away at the same time too.  Maybe he wasn't quite ready for this yet…  He took her hand with a bit of blush coloring his cheeks, wistfully mumbling, "Glad you're OK, Misty."_

Having no such qualms, Brock laughed with sheer joy to be alive as he grabbed both his friends around the waist and lifted them off their feet for a big group hug.  His enthusiasm broke the tension; Misty and Ash laughed too as Brock set them down.

Their good feelings were just as quickly forgotten; for Godzilla roared again.

Even the Arcanines turned to face up the street.  Thanks to the Fire Blast moments before, everybody had a clear view of Godzilla sizing up Silver Town.  He'd had his fun with MechaRhydon.  Now it was time to finish what he'd started.  Godzilla took a purposeful step forward.

And the tip of one toe's claw came down squarely on the Master Ball, triggering the capture mechanism on its front.

Godzilla's roar shook the earth as he struggled in the bright red energy lapping over him.  In the blink of an eye, the rippling beam constricted into bands of energy crushing Godzilla's limbs and tail against his own body.  Tighter and tighter the Master Ball's grip became; doubling Godzilla over with a coughing snarl.  Godzilla began shrinking as the Master Ball drew him steadily in.

With a supreme effort and a resounding crack, Godzilla burst two of the encircling bands to raise his head and arm to the remorseless skies.  He gave one final roar as he clutched for purchase, eyes flashing and teeth gleaming, hoping to pull himself to freedom.

Then the Master Ball pulled him within itself in a blaze of glory.  Once it closed, the Master Ball didn't rock nor did the indicator on the front flash on and off like an ordinary Pokèmon capture.  It simply laid still.  It had done its duty, and done it well.

With that, the storm was finally spent also.  The rains broke as swiftly as if someone turned off a faucet.  As quickly as they came, the winds washed away the clouds to allow a bloated full moon to shine down across Silver Town.

Finally relaxing, Ash turned to the Arcanines who'd saved them.  "Thanks," he began, "And don't take this the wrong way, but—who are you guys?"

The lead Arcanine merely barked happily before dashing around Ash to meet a lone figure hobbling her way up the street toward them.  Brock grinned and shook his head, "We should've known."

Officer Jenny didn't allow herself to lean on any of her Arcanines for support.  Instead she forced herself to keep going, despite the ugly, blood-dried gash in her leg.  She was smiling with a touch of pain in it as she raised an arm to call, "Hey!  Are you three okay?"  As she neared, Misty gasped; Jenny's other arm hung useless at her side.  Judging by the large purplish bulge there, it was broken near her shoulder.

"Thanks to you, yeah," Ash reassured her with a grin.

To his surprise, Jenny's face grew stern.  "You'd better count yourself lucky," she pointed out, "Usually I wouldn't bother saving Team Rocket scum like you; but you did save the city between your robot and capturing that thing.  Still, consider that Pokèmon confiscated and yourselves under arrest until I get a look at your rap sheets."

At this prodding, her Arcanine trio quickly surrounded the trainers; one each to a human.  They didn't growl but their looks were dead serious.

Misty was quick to interject, "Oh, no, officer!  We're not with Team Rocket; I'm the Gym Leader of Cerulean City!  Well, one of them, anyway.  Misty Williams, from the Kanto Region…?"  When Jenny still regarded them suspiciously, Misty slowly pulled out her trainer ID.  The boys were fishing for their identification as well; Brock pointing out the cop could check with the Mt. Silver Preserve's Nurse Joy about them too.

Something about seeing their ID pictures (maybe their resemblance to mug shots) clicked for Jenny.  When she relaxed, so did the friends.  The cop added, "That's right.  My cousin in Blackthorn City said you helped Gym Leader Clair a few weeks ago.  Got her Dragon Fang artifact back from Team Rocket, right?"

As his friends nodded, Brock made to take Jenny's shoulder and steer her off.  "You shouldn't be walking in this condition, officer," he suggested, "I just saw Nurse Joy go that way, I'm sure she'd be glad to help."

The corner of her mouth turned up a little at his concern, but her eyes stopped Brock's hand before he'd quite touched her.  She quipped, "Later.  You'd better find your parents; I'm sure they're worried sick over you, kid."  Brock backed off, waving his hands apologetically.

"Hey," Misty said, "What's that?"

The magnetic gimbals built into any Pokèball were gently propelling the Master Ball through the air.  As always, the preprogrammed machines used the devices to return to the one who threw it.

As the Master Ball floated into his cupped hands, Ash gazed at it in open-mouthed wonder.  He didn't wait a second; as soon as he had the ball, he struck up his usual pose and announced with a flourish, "I caught Godzilla!  Ha ha!!"  _"Pi-Pikachu!"_

But Misty firmly took his upraised hand and lowered it.  With a "Hmm" noise, she turned Ash's hand around to study the Master Ball from behind.  "Just as I figured," Misty announced, "You threw the ball, all right.  And Godzilla's caught inside it too.  But unless that's your new trainer ID number on here, Godzilla's not registered to you and he's not **your** Pokèmon."

Including Officer Jenny, the humans all leaned over the ball still cupped in Ash's grip.  Pikachu peered up from between their feet, concerned but able to see only the front of the ball from his short vantage point.

Ash grumbled, "Yeah, but then whose Pokèball is it?"

When Jenny looked around the group, Brock and Misty quickly confessed it wasn't theirs.  Which left Ash looking at where MechaRhydon had disappeared.  "It was Team Rocket's," he revealed to the cop.

Misty shivered, "So Godzilla must belong to Jesse or James now."

Brock moaned, "There's a thought."

Jenny's tone was grim.  "Looks like it's not a problem.  That giant robot went down hard.  You three are the only ones I saw escaping from it."

Ash disagreed, shaking his head, "I'm sure they got out of MechaRhydon and are sneaking around here someplace.  Trust me, Officer Jenny; those guys always come back.  They're like bad gum on your shoe or something you can't get rid of."

The cop actually started to laugh at that analogy.  It hurt, though, and she quickly stopped.

Trying to downplay the embarrassment Ash was inflicting upon her, Misty spoke up brightly, "Wait.  They said they got the Master Ball from their Boss.  Wouldn't that be his Pokèball, then?"

Jenny's face lit up even more than the joy of seeing Godzilla disappear had given her.  She snatched the ball away, holding it right in front of her nose in an unbelieving fashion.  As if it might fade away to nothingness in her grip if she didn't.  "The Boss of Team Rocket," she whispered wonderingly, "Do you know how long we've been after a clue to his identity?  Do you?"  Ash was glad she only had one hand to spare; he feared Jenny might shake him until he fully realized exactly how long she'd been waiting for this.

"I…I'm sorry, officer," Ash had to break in, "I'm really grateful you sent your Arcanines to save us - we all are…"  He paused to let Brock and Misty nod vigorously before continuing, "But Godzilla's in there.  He's, he's a very **special Pokèmon.  He needs…"**

Ash broke off at the cross look on Jenny's face.  "You seem to know a lot about this Pokèmon," she observed in a tone that allowed no argument, "I suggest you three all stay in town for the next few days.  I'll need to talk to all of you first thing in the morning."

She winced as the shoulder above her broken arm twitched automatically.  Jenny amended, "Well, maybe first thing in the afternoon, then.  But rest assured; Godzilla is staying in this Pokèball and I'm not letting it out of my sight."

So saying, the cop made to put the Master Ball into her equipment purse for safe keeping.

Gently, the Master Ball lifted of its own accord and began floating away.

Sharply, the lady cop glanced around; but all she got was upturned hands and nervous grins assuring her the teens had nothing to do with it.  Instead, it was Pikachu's sharp ears who again lead the way as the electric mouse leapt into motion.  _"Pika?  Pikachu!  Chu!"_

Jenny was forced to throw herself side-saddle onto Arcanine to keep up as the group pelted into a still-standing alleyway.  As Misty already suspected, the narrow corridor was lit with a now-familiar mix of roiling colors spilling from a tear in the fabric of her reality itself.

The "g" Unown was there, gently pulling the Master Ball to it with psychic force.  Ash motioned Pikachu to stay put with everybody else; then he stepped forward slowly with one hand outstretched.  "Wait, c'mon.  I've got it under control now.  My friends and I can save Godzilla, really we can."

Slowly the Unown shook itself back and forth negatively.  "But why?" Ash pleaded.

The Unown blinked; then it reached out to all those assembled with its telepathic powers.  In an instant, Ash saw both reminders of his past and images of the Unown's fears in his mind's eye.

As Misty had pointed out, Godzilla would now obey only the Master Ball's owner…and that only if he wanted to, as Charizard's former bad attitude was ample proof.  Events had already proven that Ash couldn't recapture Godzilla if he freed the monster and destroyed the Master Ball either.  And even if Ash did manage that feat, would he dare unleash Godzilla and try to train him at all during Ash's journey?

Or would it be so dangerous for everyone and everything they came near, that the Master Ball would end up Godzilla's eternal prison?  Maybe Officer Jenny would even be forced to just lock the ball away in a cold, dark vault somewhere, forever.

And perhaps worst of all:  If the mysterious Boss got his wish and Godzilla fell into his hands, particularly with his minions chasing Ash all the time already…

Ash's hand fell.  "You're…you're right, Unown," he gasped slowly, "Godzilla's got to go back."  Then his eyes came up, earnestly peering into the Unown's lone orb.  "But don't forget what you showed us from his past," Ash reminded, "Nothing will change unless he finds someone to care about.  Somebody who cares about him right back!"

Ash found Misty at his side.  Her hands were clasped and her eyes shone as Misty quietly bared her soulful plea.  "Ash is right, Unown.  There must be someone, somewhere, in that world who can do it.  Don't let all that's happened be for nothing.  Please."

Brock stepped up behind his friends, putting a gentle hand on each shoulder.  He didn't need to say anything.  His steady gaze remained on the Unown, backing up his friends' feelings with his own.

The Unown pondered these things.

Jenny's eyes shone with uncharacteristic warmth.  At least, uncharacteristic compared to how much she actually let herself show when on the job most of the time.  The Unown's mental touch had filled her in on the big details of the day at the same time.  Despite the carnage Godzilla had caused, she found herself moved by the trio's concern enough to add her own mental plea.

Finally the Unown bobbed up and down in its approximation of a nod.

With that, it and the Master Ball vanished into the rift, which quickly closed behind.

The assembled group of humans and Pokèmon blinked their eyes clear of that last flash.  Then Jenny gasped.  She quickly fished a small pad and pencil from the equipment purse at her hip.  Bracing her implements against Arcanine's back, Jenny jotted down a number before showing it to Brock.  "This was the trainer number on that Pokèball, right?!"

"Yeah," Brock encouraged gamely, "I think so."

Unsatisfied, Jenny swung the pad around for Misty and Ash to inspect too.  "Tell me this is right and I haven't blown the biggest crime-busting opportunity of the decade!" she cried.

Misty and Ash were quick to reassure her that she had the number right.  Jenny seemed to be regaining her composure, but her hand was still shaking a little as she stuffed the pad back in her purse.  "Okay," she assured herself and her viewers alike, "It's okay, I lost the physical proof, but it's okay.  I can get started on an investigation tomorrow.  I'll still want to talk to you guys then, too.  But for now, I've got to get busy with the clean-up."

"Let us help!" Ash was quick to volunteer.  His friends nodded.

Officer Jenny was all too happy to take them up on that.  Politely, they kept up with her hobbling pace as they picked their way toward the start of the alley.  Ash found himself contemplating Misty out of the corner of his eyes.  She was checking on Togepi and didn't notice.

She sure got on his nerves sometimes.  But then she'd turn around and do stuff like supporting him before the Unown, or saying things like, "You can do anything, Ash.  I really believe you can," before.  She really was something special.

And here he was, proving her trust and the Unown's alike was so misplaced.  Ash berated himself under his breath fiercely.  He didn't deserve a girl like her.  He'd have to work hard; someday, he'd become everything he wanted to be.  Everything she deserved.  Then Misty's faith in him would be well-founded.

Ash realized the perfect opportunity to test his true worthiness was only days away.  He made a vow with himself silently; if he triumphed in the Silver Conference, then he'd see about that card and flowers Joy had mentioned.  If not…well, maybe it would be time to stop dragging Misty down with him.

In the face of the ravaged town, none of Ash's friends suspected his dark demeanor had any other cause.  Certainly, Silver Town's half-demolished scenery robbed the lot of them of their full heartiness as they worked to aid the wounded.  Still, it could have easily been worse.

As the group bent to their task, each was unaware of several sets of crafty eyes studying them through matching pairs of long-range binoculars.

Sighing, Jesse lowered her binoculars and blew a tuft of her extremely ragged, blackened hair out of her eyes.  Team Rocket was sitting on a gentle hill outside Silver Town that overlooked the non-damaged section.  They'd run that far after escaping MechaRhydon's submergence before they'd figured out Godzilla wasn't chasing them.

She moaned.  Shifting her legs forward, Jesse rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hands.  "We blew it big time.  Even for us."

"Yeah," James groaned from a crosslegged pose, "We'll be drummed out of Team Rocket for sure this time.  No more forgiveness; we exposed the Boss' secret identity."

Meowth gazed heavenward, sighing, _"Why must a certif'ble genious like me be stuck wit' losers like dese?"_  Before his comrades could get really angry, Meowth spread his forepaws reassuringly.  _"It's just a numbah.  Youse think da Boss don't have cover stories n' fake IDs to keep his secret?  Dat copper will never make it stick, even if she does track him down fer dat."_

James perked up, "For once, Meowth, you're absolutely right!"

_"Thanks, Jimmy," Meowth grinned, __"I think.  But hey, da twerps will prob'ly head back up Mt. Silver tomorrow.  Dey'll be tryin' ta get dat Larvitar back to his poor mudda, remember?  So let's get dere first n' give 'em a warm welcome; whaddya say?"_

"Quite right, Meowth!" James chortled.

Still twirling her hair between her fingers, Jesse still looked depressed despite their ever-so-cunning plan.  Not about the Boss' wrath; still about her hair.

"I don't think I can go back to my unique, beautiful shade of red ever again," Jesse moaned as tears started flowing down her cheeks, "Why did I start dyeing it purple?  If I hadn't, it wouldn't have gone up like matchsticks!"

In a rare burst of sympathy, Meowth put a comforting paw on her undamaged forearm.  _"Maybe youse could still do somethin' wit it,"_ he suggested.

Putting on his best smile, James chimed in enthusiastically, "He's right, Jess!  I'd challenge anyone to find a person besides you who knows more about caring for her luxurious hair."

It seemed that flattery really could soothe the savage beast.  Jesse's head finally perked up from her grasp; she let her hair go too as her eyes narrowed in thought.  Jesse leapt to her feet, clenching her fist with determination.  "Okay!  I've got the plan!  First thing in the morning, we steal some digging tools - and raid the nearest hair salon!!"

Her teammates chorused, "Aye-aye!!"

"Or," Jesse amended quickly, "The salon first and **then** the tools!" 

"Aye-aye!!"

_"Wobbuffet!!"_

"You don't have any hair!  You have fur!  What do you care!?!"

_"Wobba!  Wobba!"_

**Well, my goodness!  Wasn't that an exciting adventure?**

**Ash, Misty, and Brock learned another valuable lesson to add to their Pokèmon experiences today.  Sometimes, things are not what they seem at first…but our heroes found the strength inside to face up to the changes and challenges with flying colors.  They were even ready to make big sacrifices to set things right if they must.**

**Can you, dear reader?  Believe in yourself, try hard, and nothing is beyond your grasp!**

**Of course, some things really are just what they seem.  Like with Team Rocket!  Will those three _ever learn crime doesn't pay?_**

**But more importantly, Officer Jenny finally has a clue to the identity of the ever-enigmatic Boss of Team Rocket.  Perhaps, someday, she'll finally be able to expose this nefarious character…**

**Hey, just who is this Boss guy anyway?  I hate it when they keep stuff from us Narrators.**

**Keep up with us, my faithful readers, in future installments…**

**No, wait, that's not what my script says.  It says, "..installments set in the future.."**

**Whatever could that mean?**

***Ahem*  But until then, farewell once more from the wonderful world of Pokèmon!**

**Thanks for reading!**

Somewhere, across the dimensional divide…

*********

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball.  This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Toho Eiga Inc., GameFreak, The Pokèmon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Sega Enterprises Ltd., etc.


	6. Epilogue

**Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball**

**E-Mail: Bdrodman@aol.com**

A week had passed since Godzilla's disappearance.  Uriko Takei lowered her newspaper, smiling quietly at the headline.  She supposed the report was right; she couldn't recall the Japanese government christening a new holiday so quickly.  Or making any sort of decision with unanimous accord, either.

She watched her old friend, Azusa Aoki, across the breakfast table.  The other woman's longer hair was blowing in the gentle sea breeze coming off Hakata Bay.  Uriko took a deep breath to enjoy the salty sea spray as their ferry chugged across the vibrant blue waters glowing in the sunrise.

Uriko loved this little open-air diner built into the ship and this table near the rail in particular.  What a perfect way to start her day off, she reflected, as she leaned back in her chair.  She'd even splurged on some brand new short-shorts and a tight T-shirt to enjoy it all in.

Except Azusa was spoiling it.  There was a ghost of old pain in Azusa's beautiful almond eyes as she read the newspaper headline upside-down.  The demure beauty's floor-length skirt ruffled in the breeze as one hand clutched at her blouse.  The other was reaching for the paper to turn it around and let Azusa get all the sordid details.

It was such a shame, Uriko knew, Azusa used to be as happy and bubbly as her husband.  But last week's events had triggered a long-dormant guilt in her friend.  Uriko reached out to cover the paper with her hand.  As respectfully and as gently as she could, Uriko quietly added, "Azusa, sweetheart, get over it.  It was ten years ago."

That approach only made Azusa draw her face up in a tighter pinch.  Glaring a little, she charged back, "You weren't there, Uriko.  You don't know how it was."  But despite the anger flashing in her eyes, Azusa kept her voice just as quiet as Uriko's.  It wouldn't do, the dolphin handler knew well, to seem at all sympathetic to Godzilla in public even though the beast was finally dead.

"No, I wasn't," Uriko admitted softly, "But Kazuma was.  Tell me; what **does** your husband think of this?"

Azusa's stare faltered.  She studied the remaining food adorning her plate instead.

Sighing, Uriko leaned forward a little to catch one of Azusa's hands in her own.  She gave it a soft squeeze before saying, "He was just an animal, Azusa, that's all.  When he hatched, you just happened to be standing there and he bonded to you.  He thought you were his mother.  If Kazuma had been standing there instead, Godzilla would've thought **he** was his mother instead.  It didn't matter."

Her friend didn't dare look up.  Uriko didn't like doing this; but it had become necessary.  All these years and Azusa still clung to the thought that things might have changed or been different somehow…

"Azusa, look at me.  Please."  Receiving a gaze glimmering with tears, Uriko continued, "He left you for the big Godzilla pretty quick, didn't he?  Letting him go was the right thing to do.  You're a person; he was an animal.  What do you think would've happened in a few more years as he grew, huh?  Do you think he'd have treated you differently from anybody else?  Do you still believe he even remembered you existed?"

Trying desperately to hold herself together, Azusa reminded Uriko between little grunts of half-stifled sobs, "It wasn't just about him.  Never.  If I'd kept him, I could've changed him.  So many people would've…would've lived…Uriko…"  Finally forced to confront her fears and fantasies alike, Azusa began to crumble under the onslaught.  She pulled her hand free to clutch her napkin to her face as great racking sobs shook her body.

Uriko had pushed too hard; her own stomach dropped down into her ankles and left a nasty smudge of regret coloring her insides.  Swiftly, she moved to the chair next to Azusa's and wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders comfortingly.  The other diners gave them some privacy by pretending to studiously ignore her public display.

Uriko cooed reassuringly, "Ssshh…ssshhh…it's okay.  You've got a family - **real** children, of yours and Kazuma's very own, now.  It's okay.  Even Godzilla's pain is over, right?  Everything's okay."

Azusa's eyes finally dried.  She quavered, "Yes…yes, you're right.  Uriko…I'm sorry I've always been so, so hung up on this…I should've put it past me long ago."

There was a bit of Uriko's usual teasing spark in her eyes as she replied, "I understand.  You know that.  If I didn't have a soft spot for animals, I wouldn't work with them every day."  She felt her friend had regained enough strength that Uriko could release her safely.  Still, she couldn't help but note, "Gee, Azusa, couldn't you have found a nice, friendly giant moth to be your buddy instead?  You know, something with more brains than a dinosaur?"

Azusa actually laughed at that and Uriko joined in.  Still smiling, Azusa replied, "Some Cosmos fairy I made, huh?  Lots of control over Godzilla, I had."  She dabbed at her eyes with the napkin.  Uriko began another joking comment when the ferry started rocking.

It was a big enough disturbance to make the womens' plates slide off their table and shatter onto the floor; yet not big enough to be a danger to the fat-bodied ship itself.  Azusa and Uriko clutched at the rail as their seats followed their table in skidding across the deck.  "Uriko!  Look!" her friend cried and pointed into the sea.

Hakata Bay was boiling and roiling a short distance away from the ferry.  The bubbles were lit from beneath by a flash of hauntingly familiar swirls of light.  Familiar to Uriko, at least.  But even as the light vanished, the churning of the waters increased.  And from the center of the disturbance began to rise a clump of ragged green blades with purple edges.

Uriko turned white.  Releasing the rail, she fell to her rump and began scrabbling backwards, unable to take her eyes off the very creature she thought she'd never have to see again.

For her part, Azusa was glued to the rail holding her upright.  She was staring with an incredulous mix of joy and horror as Godzilla, restored to his full-fledged glory, allowed his head to break the surface.

The King of the Monsters swept the area with a quick and narrow glare.  There was a flash of surprised relief in his eyes at his surroundings.  Godzilla threw his head back and roared; announcing his return to the world.  Uriko threw her hands over her ears at the noise but it didn't help.  She'd be lucky if her hearing wasn't permanently damaged at this range.

Azusa never left the rail nor did her happy smile leave her lips.  Uriko couldn't hear her, but had a sick feeling in her gut that Azusa was now yelling something like, "Baby…?  Baby, is that you?!" at the top of her lungs.

Suddenly Azusa was screaming so loud that Uriko could just catch what she was saying anyway.  Waving both her arms, Azusa risking being dumped off the still-shifting deck and into the cold waters.  "It's me!  Baby, it's me!  You were Baby Godzilla!  Please, don't you remember me?!"

Uriko found her own strength in that moment.  She stood and grasped at Azusa, trying to restrain her; but the athletic animal handler found herself brushed aside by Azusa's enthusiasm.

Godzilla heard her too.  With a sharp grunt, his eyes swept the ferry for the precise source of that call.  He found it even as Uriko finally got half a grip on the slightly older woman.

Godzilla snarled.

Uriko let go, _fast._

Eyes sparkling, Godzilla allowed his body to sink into the bay and exchange his nearly prone swimming position he'd used to surface for a standing, water-treading one.  The ferry was turning its stern to him in a desperate bid to escape as fast as the old workhouse could chug along.  Which wasn't exactly a blistering speed.

But the King of the Monsters only had eyes for Azusa as she kept pace with him at the rail.  For a time beyond eternity, their gazes locked and each drank deep of the other's soul.  Searching, probing, seeing through each other's thoughts and emotions as if they were displayed for all to see and not just Godzilla and Azusa.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Godzilla's eyes floated closed.  Was that a tear tracing its way down his fearsome visage…or just a large blot of sea water returning to its brethren?

And then…the sea began to boil as Godzilla's back plates lit up.

Azusa sank to her knees, bending her head and shoulders in the ancient tradition of a samurai preparing for his final duty to his lord.  Uriko was screaming, Azusa was sure, and clutching at her, trying to pull her up and flee…flee for their lives…but to where?  Azusa could hear nothing over the crackling of Godzilla's energy buildup.

Nevertheless, she moaned softly the words she knew to be true to the very depths of her being.  "I failed you.  I failed my people and my family when I abandoned you.  Now they are all at risk from you.  I deserve this.  I only wish these others be spared."

The monster was not in a forgiving mood.  Godzilla's mouth opened slightly and the light contained within burned into the womens' vision.  A blast of steam, the last precursor to the atom beam, washed over them a split second later.  Although she could no longer truly see, Azusa's eyes focused on the center of that hellish light as she uttered her final peace to the world.

"May my death cleanse the blood from my hands and my duty finally be fulfilled."

Across Hakata Bay and even into Fukuoka City itself, the fireball of the ferry's demise was visible to all who dared watch it.  Yet even as the shattered keel dipped beneath the waves, Godzilla slowly sank alongside it.  He was content to return to Japan another day.

Far below the monster, the single Unown peered through the psychic shield keeping it safe from Hakata Bay.  Godzilla's silhouette turned above as the kaiju headed out toward the ocean proper.  The Unown could still feel Godzilla's potent mixture of rage and guilt; vengeance fulfilled and yet somehow coldly empty.

It turned its single-orbed gaze to the empty Master Ball resting against the shield beside it.  Everything, absolutely everything, had gone wrong in their attempts.  The Unown as a whole would not dare try anything similar ever again.

For an instant, a hole appeared in the shield.  The air contained within burst through and took the Master Ball with it.  The Unown calmly resealed its protective bubble as the ball, still having some air trapped within, began bobbing toward the surface.  A flick of psychic power and the ball's normal release catch flipped open.

With only a few rising bubbles to mark its passing, the Master Ball sank into the depths.

The Unown had no eye for it.  Already yet another rift to its own colorful dimension had appeared and the Pokèmon was moving into it.  Once on the other side, it would seal the divide separating Godzilla's world from home sweet home forever.

Godzilla, the Unown knew, had no home.  And now he never would.

**THE END**

Text, original characters, and events Copyright © 2003 Keith E. Kimball.  This is a fan work and not for profit.

All other characters, events, and trademarks Copyright © their respective holders including but not limited to Nintendo Company Ltd., Toho Eiga Inc., GameFreak, The Pokèmon Company, Shogakukan Production Inc., 4Kids Entertainment, Sega Enterprises Ltd., etc.


End file.
